Preparing for natural disasters is one of the major themes this week as mayors and elected leaders from B.C.’s Southern Interior meet in Salmon Arm for their annual convention.
The focus comes after a challenging year where communities faced fires, floods, and extreme heat.
With panel discussions on food system resiliency and wildfire risk reduction, elected representatives are discussing how their communities can prepare for future events.
“I attended a fascinating discussion presented by Interior Health specifically about the heat dome and what we can expect going forward. Really the big takeaway from that is we need to plan now because that happened last year but it is going to happen more and more frequently,” said Summerland Mayor Toni Boot.
The mayor of the host city, Salmon Arm, said he would like to see an increased focus on food security to prepare for future natural disasters.
The meetings are also a chance for municipalities to join together and advocate for change on a provincial level. One call this year is for a more aggressive response to wildfires.
“The best lesson we’ve learned in that last seven years of wildfires is ‘Hit it fast and hit it hard.’ We are not at that point yet and that’s the frustrating part,” said Kamloops Councillor Bill Sarai.
Due to the pandemic, this is the first time the Southern Interior Local Government Association has been able to hold its annual convention in person since 2019.
The four-day event wraps up Friday in Salmon Arm.
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