Jurisdictions & Regulations

In 2003-2004, both the federal government of Canada and provincial government of B.C. made decisions to download the responsibility for flood-risk management back to municipalities (Stevens and Hanschka, 2014). This means municipalities are expected to plan and implement guidelines and mandates that are designed to promote flood-risk management. In reality, however, municipalities are often reluctant to voluntarily pursue such a role, nor do they have sufficient capacity or access to funding to finance and implement flood control measures that meet new provincial guidelines (ibid.). The discontinuation of the Burrard Inlet Environmental Action Program and the Fraser River Estuary Management Program (often referred to, together, as BIEAP-FREMP) in 2013 has further exacerbated this trend.

These intergovernmental programs coordinated environmental management review and interagency communication for projects and shoreline developments in the Burrard inlet and the Fraser River estuary. BIEAP-FREMP streamlined environmental reviews by taking project applications (from municipalities or industries) and coordinating responses with all relevant agencies. Currently, municipalities have to navigate this complex web of permitting agencies, zoning bylaws and other legislative hurdles themselves. This is not only very time consuming; it also prevents innovation and cross-jurisdictional approaches and strategies.