New disaster management legislation has been introduced in British Columbia on the first day of the fall legislative session in Victoria.

Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma said Tuesday the legislation will deliver a modernized emergency and disaster management approach that is aligned with international best practices to ensure communities are safer and more resilient.

“The Emergency and Disaster Management Act moves toward a holistic four-phase approach of mitigation, preparation, response and recovery,” Ma said in the legislature.

“It embraces disaster risk reduction and will require that climate risk be assessed so that entities can better mitigate the impacts of climate-related emergencies before they happen.”

Ma said the legislation will look to update what constitutes an emergency to reflect modern realities and risks and provides improved tools for response and recovery.

The proposed changes come as B.C. experienced its worst wildfire season on record, with as many as 400 structures lost and a price tag nearing $1 billion. Thousands of B.C. residents from their homes, and recent floods, landslides and wildfires also saw many thousands evacuate communities and homes in the province.

“Over the last number of years, British Columbians have experienced extreme climate disasters and we’ve learned a lot about how we can be better prepared for emergencies to keep people safe,” Ma added. “From this summer’s wildfires and drought to the atmospheric rivers and extreme heat of 2021, we know first-hand how climate change can affect our lives.”

“This act modernizes how our province approaches emergency management by putting a greater emphasis on preparing for and mitigating the impacts of climate-related emergencies before they happen – keeping people and communities safer from disasters.”

Once passed, the Province says the emergency and disaster management act will be phased in over time. It also says it will work with First Nations and local governments to ensure they have the support needed to successfully implement the legislation.

The legislation was introduced on the same day B.C. ombudsperson Jay Chalke released a report that found that emergency support programs for disaster evacuees are outdated, under-resourced, inaccessible and poorly communicated.

“A major takeaway from this report is that (in) trying to deliver government programs, especially in extreme situations like this, equity needs to be built into that process,” Chalke said.

“A one-size-fits-all approach that we’ve seen in the past in terms of emergency support is short-sighted and doesn’t do nearly enough to meet the needs of a diverse public that it is trying to serve.”

Also announced Thursday was the make up of Premier David Eby’s expert task force on emergencies.

Three Kamloops-area representatives are on the team of 14 that will be tasked with finding ways to improve preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery to better support people on the front lines of emergencies.

– With files from The Canadian Press