Good morning, everyone, and thank you for inviting me to appear today.
My name is Jason Hwang. I'm the vice-president for salmon programs with the Pacific Salmon Foundation. I'm coming to you today from Kamloops, the traditional territory of the Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc people.
This committee will know from your study last year on Pacific salmon that many populations are in trouble and they need our help. The government has just committed $647 million to Pacific salmon. It seems like a lot, but the government has stated an intent to invest $5 billion in flood response.
Now, rivers are supposed to flood and salmon are adapted to use the flood plain during a flood. When we cut off flood plains, we change the ecosystem and we cut off habitats that salmon depend on.
Climate change is predicted to make floods more frequent and intense. Do we just build more pump stations, make more dykes, build them bigger and higher, and then wonder what happened to the salmon? We have the knowledge and opportunity to do better for our people, salmon and natural environments.
I'm going to make two key points today.
The first one is building on what we heard from the previous witnesses this morning: The response to fish and fish habitat issues from the flood has been slow and coordination has been poor.
I understand that DFO has an approach to wait for freshet for some things, and I agree with that. However, there have also been time-sensitive things for salmon and other fish that were not assessed or addressed directly by DFO or the Province of B.C.
The PSF has committed approximately $200,000 to more than 20 time-sensitive flood-related projects that government was unwilling or unable to support. Here are just two examples.
There were multiple sites where off-channel refuge areas used by salmon were damaged or cut off by debris from the flood. For just a few thousand dollars and a few hours of work, many of these areas were cleaned out and reconnected, saving thousands and thousands of juvenile salmon. In another case, we supported the rebuilding of a channel, and the next day 40 adult coho showed up and began spawning. All of this would have been lost if action had not been taken immediately.
The gap in leadership and coordination from B.C. and DFO on fish and fish habitat issues continues to this day.
My second key point is that when we think about flooding, salmon and the natural environment need to be part of the design, not something that you think about afterwards.
Flood infrastructure and salmon intersect. The investments in rebuilding and improving our infrastructure need to be done with consideration and measures that also enable the natural environment to function and provide the necessary habitat conditions that salmon and other species require.
We know that trying to constrain rivers does not work. Jurisdictions across the globe have recognized this and are undertaking programs to adjust their flood plain use. Major infrastructure investment is an opportunity to rebuild smarter, to meet human and economic needs and also undo some of the past impacts to salmon and natural environments.
Our neighbours in Washington state have a program called floodplains by design. It works to accelerate integrated efforts to reduce flood risks and restore habitat along Washington's major river corridors. Its goal is to improve the resiliency of flood plains in order to protect local communities and the health of the environment.
So, do we use public dollars to rebuild a dyke that has failed regularly over the decades and also cuts off important flood plain habitat for salmon? Or, do we adjust our vision and expectations and use the dollars to support a farmer in the flood plains to transition to a flood-tolerant crop that can sustain occasional or seasonal flooding.
I have two recommendations for the committee to consider.
The first is that we are going to see more of this kind of event. If we're going to make the best use of our current opportunities, we need leadership from our federal government, not just the typical types of responses and actions that have gotten us to where we are at now.
Second, we need to connect the funding from the federal government for flood infrastructure and recovery to the outcomes we need for salmon. We have a choice. We can invest public dollars in things that are bad for salmon, or we can use public dollars to lead the way to invest in solutions that are good for people and for salmon.
In closing, when it comes to flood infrastructure and responding to floods, we need to change something we've done the wrong way for a long time. There is a legacy of development in flood plains. Jurisdictions around the world—and right next door—are changing how they view development in flood plains and how they invest in flood-plain planning, infrastructure and restoration.
There is an opportunity for a win-win-win, for people, our economy and our salmon, but this requires leadership and a push for change versus a default to the status quo.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. That's the conclusion of my opening statement.