PROVINCIAL FLOOD MEETING LEAVES PUBLIC SANDBAGGED
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com ANALYSIS
HUNTSVILLE — After a flood of complaints and a torrent of criticism, a political showdown about the MNRF’s handling of the spring freshet turned into a bit of a dribble.
And not the rush to a judgement as expected by its sudden timing.
Call it trickle down economics, as Muskoka mayors appeared afraid to bite the hand that feeds them in an anticipated private meeting here Friday afternoon.
Not with a cleanup underway and provincial money on the table for disaster relief muddying the political waters.
Don’t rock the boat, a polite and pleasant pre-meeting photo-op implied.
Yet that’s not what local officials overtly said while wading through knee-deep waters for weeks as they dealt with the crisis and gushed about it.
The public was sandbagged.
The rush to judgement about dams and lake levels was never never going to be open and shut case.
And it was doubtful the mayors of Bracebridge and Huntsville Graydon Smith and Scott Aichison were ever going to critical of the run-up to April, as Ford knows a friend in need is a friend indeed.
Still, there should have been room for optimism; but then hope springs eternal in many of you.
“After this spring’s unprecedented flooding in Parry Sound-Muskoka as well as in the Ottawa Valley and elsewhere, the Ontario government is engaging with municipal officials to discuss how to improve Ontario’s resilience to flooding,” boasted a post-meeting release from Miller.
He said he and his colleagues listened to input about how to prepare for future flooding from local municipalities, without offering any details on who said what for or against what happened and why.
He added residents are invited to make suggestions online, since they weren’t invited to speak at the meeting in the Algonquin Theatre.
Premier Doug Ford announced the “internal task force to better plan for and reduce the impacts of flooding in the legislature on Monday,” said the release.
The first session took place today in Huntsville where Miller was joined by Toby Barrett, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry; Jim McDonell, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing; and Finance Minister and MPP for Nipissing Vic Fedeli, the deputy premier.
Ford was conspicuous by his absence.
Miller said the group heard from municipal leaders of those communities that were most severely impacted by this spring’s flooding, including Muskoka Lakes Mayor Phil Harding and Gravenhurst Mayor Paul Kelly.
Harding tweeted later that another meeting is planned for June, but didn’t elaborate as predicted.
Meetings in Pembroke and Ottawa will follow next week. But I’m sure that after today they won’t be holding the breath — but then it is the Capital Region.
“I want to thank the Ministers of Natural Resources and Forestry and Municipal Affairs and Housing for their quick responses to the flooding and for turning their attention to future planning,” gushed Miller in the government release.
“It was good to bring everyone together to hear their suggestions for how to improve the system going forward as extreme weather seems to be happening more frequently.”
The Ontario government is also seeking feedback from the public through a newly created website at www.ontario.ca/floodsurvey.
The release said the “Made-In-Ontario Environment Plan also commits to a provincial impact assessment to identify where and how climate change is likely to impact Ontario’s communities and find ways to improve resilience to severe weather.”
The province has activated the Disaster Relief Assistance for Ontarians program for areas of Bracebridge, Huntsville, Muskoka Lakes, Armour Township, Ryerson Township and Burk’s Falls that were impacted by the flooding.
Residents of these areas can get more information at www.ontario.ca/disasterassistance.
