Article content

The federal Liberal government is pledging $2 billion over the next decade for large-scale projects aimed at blunting the effect of natural disasters linked to climate change.

Under grey skies threatening rain, Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi announced the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund on Thursday near a section of the Elbow River on the Stampede grounds that flooded in the southern Alberta deluge of 2013.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Liberals target $2 billion over 10 years to mitigate disasters linked to climate change Back to video

Sohi said projects such as dams, dykes and natural wetlands will be eligible for funding under the new program, which was first signalled in the 2017-18 federal budget.

“Climate change is having a dramatic impact on Canadian communities from coast to coast to coast,” said Sohi, who referenced recent and ongoing flooding in New Brunswick and British Columbia.

Photo by James Wood / Postmedia

“Floods, wildfires and winter storms are getting worse and more frequent. We understand that these disasters have a very real impact on Canadian communities.”