2 FUNDING will flow from AgriRecovery


$12 million of federal monies and $8 million from the province, drew praise from both ranchers and First Nations leaders, many of whose communities make livings from agriculture. “We need those resources and I am strongly appreciative of the federal government,” said Ann Louie, chief of the Williams Lake Indian Band, noting that her people – like ranchers – were shut out of firefighting efforts. “We were not given any capacity or resources to fight the fire till the third day.” BC Cattlemen’s Association general manager Kevin Boon, who began contacting MacAulay’s office regarding relief on July 12, backed up Louie’s comments. “We all kind of felt that


way,” he said. “I think a lot of the ranchers out there felt that they were being abandoned and that their skills and expertise were not being utilized. And I think that’s part of what we’ve got to work on.”


The funding is a step in the


right direction, he said, helping communities get


back in business. “It’s not just an investment


in the First Nations ranchers that are out there and the fences and the grasses and the hay,” he said. “This is an investment back into each of those communities, and right now those communities are dependent on the resource sectors to get them going. … I know that each and every rancher out there appreciates the opportunity to get back into business.”


Nearly 50,000 head affected


Boon told Country Life in BC that the summer’s wildfires likely affected a quarter of the BC beef herd, or about 48,750 animals. One bright spot was that ranchers were able to put up hay through the fires, ensuring that feed losses won’t be as severe as they might have been. However, with dry conditions pushing down yields in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, stocks remain tight. The lush fields of forage


also served as firebreaks in certain areas. Delivery of the relief funding announced


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September 5 will be through the AgriRecovery program. “The government of


Canada will process any request for advance or interim disaster financial assistance payments as quickly and efficiently as possible,” promised Carla Qualtrough, federal minister of public works and procurement, who is overseeing the federal government’s 2017 wildfire response in BC. MacAulay added that he wanted to see applications for relief processed in “a straight- forward and timely manner.” MacAulay explained that the funds aim “to assist producers with extraordinary costs they have incurred as a result of the wildfires.” These include,


• veterinary, transportation and housing costs for displaced animals


• feed and re-establishing feed facilities


• labour for fencing • lost breeding animals • reseeding crops damaged by fire.


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covered by insurance and the costs industry organizations incurred to support members are also eligible. Reg Ens, executive director of the BC Agriculture Council, credited Boon with spearheading efforts to get the government to ensure certain costs would be covered that other AgriRecovery programs failed to fund. The successes set a precedent for future programs not only in BC but across the country as wildfires move higher on the government agenda. MacAulay acknowledged


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this, saying that cattle aren’t all ranchers worry about. “A lot of things have been burnt down – fences, where they store the cattle, then the feed,” he said. “All of this is a massive cost to the farmer.” While no one has yet estimated the cost of this


year’s wildfires, the tally will be in the billions. The provincial budget update on September 11 pegged the cost of fighting the fires at $600 million. An additional $100 million was earmarked for relief efforts, and $155 million is pledged to improve infrastructure designed to prevent and mitigate future wildfires. Moreover, the fire burned


through 53 million cubic metres of timber and killed or compromised 30,000 cattle who suffered burned hooves, smoke inhalation and other ill effects.


Long term assessment The cost is something Lana


Popham said would take weeks to assess. “We really will have to do a longer term assessment of what’s happened to our grazing lands, our traditional foodlands and make sure that


COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • OCTOBER 2017 nfrom page 1


we’ve got a long-term plan for recovery,” she said. Ralph Goodale, a former


federal agriculture minister now serving as minister of public safety and emergency preparedness, told Country Life in BC that the final tally will determine what Ottawa contributes. According to the long- standing federal-provincial Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangement, Ottawa will cover 90% of disaster costs – including initial response as well as evacuations and recovery – exceeding $15.37 per person in any given province or territory. “That calculation is a much


larger calculation that will take some time to be done,” Goodale said. “Officials will work together to calculate the eligible costs and the government of Canada will be there every step of the way.”


Disaster insurance


Basic health insurance won’t cover pre-existing conditions. When it comes to natural disasters, many insurers take the same approach. It’s tough to get insurance against flooding, for example, although overland flood coverage is gradually seeping into the market. While water damage from burst pipes is typically


covered, seepage is a more difficult question and flood plains – which by definition are subject to flooding – are beyond the pale. Similarly, this summer’s fires meant that properties within an active fire area could not secure insurance – after all, what insurer would cover a property in immediate danger of burning down? While some insurers wouldn’t write policies on


properties within 25 kilometres of a fire, others set the distance at 50 kilometres. The result was the deferral of several sales until fire conditions improved. With fires and other natural disasters becoming an


increasing concern in many areas, new coverages – such as for overland flooding – may become available. However, the availability of such coverages may also obligate property owners to take them in order to qualify for relief of uninsured damages. With a changing climate, it pays for property owners to


know how their insurance coverage may change so that they’re not caught short when disaster strikes.


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