A “sleeping giant” sounds like something out of a terrifying fairy tale.
But that’s how Bowinn Ma, B.C.’s Emergency Management Minister, just described the record drought that has parched B.C. When the drought is over and the rains return, she told a news conference, the province could be at risk of catastrophic flooding like B.C. saw two years ago.
Check out the full CTV story to learn more.
This giant is, truly, scary, but it is no longer sleeping. In fact, by stating that B.C. is in danger of experiencing similar flooding to two years ago, Ma is addressing the giant in the room. This is a step in the right direction compared to two years ago when the Province let a sleeping giant lie, resulting in some of the most devastating flooding B.C. has ever experienced. But acknowledging what could come next is not nearly enough.
Our physical safety, the future of B.C. jobs, and even our food chain now rely on the leaders in our province to take a giant step forward and properly deal with the drought-flood cycle. This requires ministers doing much more than identifying the current drought as a sleeping giant and laying out three potential scenarios for the fall, all of which are framed as being out of the Province’s control. This requires ministers, such as Forestry Minister Bruce Ralston, doing more than asking everyone to voluntarily conserve water, or Minister Ma asking British Columbians to take shorter showers.
We need the B.C. government to do its job. The province needs to take measures to defend and secure our watersheds, including funding projects that will protect freshwater. The Province needs to facilitate industry reform, including ending clearcutting in watersheds, to support healthy watersheds as well as local economies.
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