Checking in with Patrick Weiler

kc dyer
2 days ago
3 min read

From emergency management to transport: Local MP weighs in

MP Patrick Weiler presenting Bill C-224, the Clean Coasts Act, in Parliament in February.

West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea To Sky MP Patrick Weiler announced in a letter to Council last December that the federal government had opened a public engagement process on a new national initiative to improve federal leadership in emergency management.

That feedback period closed at the end of last month, and Weiler recently agreed to sit down with The Watershed to discuss federal involvement in emergency management practices, and provide a few other updates.

The federal initiative was born out of the increasing impact of climate change on natural disasters, he noted, adding that the consultation was "an opportunity for Canadians and emergency management partners to share their views on the priorities, gaps, and opportunities that should guide the federal approach in the years ahead."

He called the topic of emergency management an incredibly important matter for our region.

"In the last five years the Sea to Sky region has been under a state of emergency from wildfires, from droughts, from flooding, and from landslides. There's probably no other region of the country that has experienced that level of emergency, so this is not an abstract thing, but a very real concern to local people." He added that the federal government wants to be as prepared as possible for the future.

Weiler acknowledged that climate emergencies require different orders of government to work together; each with different responsibilities. "The federal government holds a key role in coordinating and supporting funding before, during and after emergencies, supporting provinces, territories and Indigenous governments with planning, coordination and response capacity," he said.

He said the goal is to support the provinces on the ground, and are working to "strengthen national coordination and information-sharing. during emergencies that cut across jurisdictions."

After disasters, the feds provide financial assistance for response and recovery, with programs where the provinces can apply for reimbursement of funds spent on dealing with disasters.

Weiler said the federal government is committed to investing in preparedness and risk reduction, citing investments of more than $10 million in firebreaks in Whistler, $117 million in grants for water security projects on the Sunshine Coast, and the local investment in the Emergency Response Centre in Lions Bay back in 2021 .

He also referenced the National Adaptation strategy, which he said was intended to build resilient communities through managing risks to health, well-being, and livelihoods.

"With the rapid changes happening in technology, we want to make sure our response systems are fit for purpose in 2026," Weiler said, adding that recent priorities have included gaining access to more water bombers to fight forest fires, as well as discussing the formation of a national Fire Fighting service.

Now that the public process of the emergency programs consultation is complete, Weiler says the results will be analyzed before deciding on next steps. But he noted that emergency management in the Sea to Sky corridor has been in active discussion for years, and remains a priority.

In terms of transportation, Weiler confirms there have been active discussions taking place from North Shore all the way to 100 Mile House, with all communities showing a "tremendous interest in maintaining the infrastructure for freight and passenger rail."

He acknowledges that while there was an $8 million investment in Sea to Sky transit operations last year, which will mean more local transit and electric buses in Whistler, there is yet to be an agreed-upon model for operational funding for regional transit service.

Weiler says he is always eager to hear from his constituents, and can be reached by email at Patrick.Weiler@parl.gc.ca. Recently, his online communications have been transferred to Bluesky, and can be found HERE on that platform.