Local governments given more responsibility in emergency planning

Municipalities and regional districts have been given more responsibility in planning for emergencies such as wildfires and floods.

The province rolled out new requirements local governments must meet in planning for emergencies, including completing emergency-management plans, business continuity plans, and hazard-risk assessments. These must be done in partnership with Indigenous governing bodies, with the province noting it was developing supports to assist municipalities complete this work.

The requirements were put on the municipalities to give the local governments time to complete the work ahead of the Emergency and Disaster Management Act coming into effect in January of 2027.