Fisheries committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair and committee members. I appreciate it.

Fisheries committee  To be short we'd have to do a takeaway. We have staff in the field and in the area offices who do support actions that are happening in various watersheds and systems that have been impacted by floods. It's not uncommon, as we all know, that throughout the winter months we do get many systems throughout British Columbia and Yukon that have these flooding events.

Fisheries committee  I can take that, Mr. Hardie. Yes, I think what you're describing is really what we're putting our mind to from a science perspective. DFO science and habitat is working with, certainly, the provincial agencies who are doing work around climate adaptation, around cumulative effects, as you describe it, on a number of different activities, whether it's water management, whether it's fire, whether it's forestry management, agriculture, all under provincial jurisdiction.

Fisheries committee  As Ms. Murdoch indicated, I think we need to re-evaluate all the work that we're doing right now to make sure that we're putting our minds to the changes in climatic conditions and how we may need to have different approaches. Riparian has always been recognized as an important element.

Fisheries committee  Mr. Hardie, the requirements under the Fisheries Act and people doing work in and about a stream obviously will be indicated as a permanent requirement through DFO. With regard to how we work with the province, it's through a collaborative process. There's no requirement in the provincial process.

Fisheries committee  Go ahead.

Fisheries committee  Yes, I can take the question. Thank you. In terms of what's happening right now, the first item that we're doing is working internally with the different expertise within the department. We have science. We have the habitat program that is helping people restore some of the infrastructure to roads and dikes.

Fisheries committee  Yes, I'll speak specifically and quickly. Facilities in the Chilliwack and the Spius, which is the Nicola watershed hatchery operation and restoration channels, for example, were directly impacted by the flooding events and needed repairs. A number of other partner restoration projects that are funded through different avenues like BCSRIF, for example, also received some impacts associated with the high water flows and will need to be considered for repair.

Fisheries committee  Yes, that's correct. The actual dykes and the infrastructure for flooding and drainage are all wholly owned either by the provincial or local authorities.

Fisheries committee  I can take that. I appreciate the question, Mr. Chair. The Fisheries Act changes had a couple of different prongs of influence on what we're seeing here today, one being the regulatory authorities, the reinstatement of HADD, and the regulatory authorities that we have on the scale and scope.

Fisheries committee  With regard to the green infrastructure work that's happening at many different jurisdictions, DFO is engaged and involved from a planning perspective to provide advice as we can with respect to the green infrastructure for fish. So we absolutely are engaged. I think there's work to do.

Fisheries committee  Watershed Watch, I must say, has been doing some tremendous work. Lina is one of the leaders there. In terms of the funding opportunities, I don't have any indication from my particular programming around that item. One thing that happened over the last two or three years in particular was the updated Fisheries Act, as you know, in 2019.

Fisheries committee  We would have to do a takeaway on that. I don't have any information that would suggest we have compensated any of those people that have done the work you described.

Fisheries committee  The quick answer would be that we were supporting the immediate actions required to protect property and people, and, at the same time, trying to give advice to protect the fish—

Fisheries committee  That means we were giving permits to allow work to proceed immediately.