Military to charge provinces, communities for disaster relief

[Locutus]

Say wut?

The Canadian Forces has decided to start charging municipalities and provinces to cover the costs whenever the military is called upon to help in emergencies such as floods and wildfires, according to internal Defence Department documents obtained by Postmedia News. Military officials say federal budget cuts are to blame for the move, which ends a 15-year practice of waiving efforts to recover such costs and could force communities and provinces to think twice before calling the Canadian Forces for help.

Supporting provincial and municipal governments during natural disasters in Canada has long been considered one of military’s most important missions.

In the past two years, Canadian soldiers have helped fight flooding in Manitoba and Quebec and evacuated, housed and fed residents of northern Ontario communities threatened by forest fires.

The costs borne by the military varied from nearly $4 million for the flooding in Quebec and $3.8 million for flood mitigation in Manitoba, to $51,000 for evacuating and feeding the threatened communities in Northern Ontario.

The assistance was considered critical for protecting lives and livelihoods — and earned the Canadian Forces high praise from across the country.

“Manitobans will never forget the unwavering support of the Canadian Forces during this unprecedented natural disaster,” Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger said in May 2011 after floods hit that province.

“Without hesitation, the Canadian Forces were here for us when we needed them and with their help we were able to avoid catastrophe on the Assiniboine River. Although the flood fight is not over yet, particularly on Lake Manitoba, military assistance has helped us get through the worst.”

But such good will may be in short supply going forward as provinces and municipalities, which have received help from the Canadian Forces without cost for more than a decade, will now be forced to pay for such assistance.


more


Military to charge provinces, communities for disaster relief | canada.com



related:

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com...escuers-are-here-will-that-be-cash-or-cheque/

 

[petros]

How is it any different than contracting a Militia like the RCMP to police your streets and highways?

 

[taxslave]

We already pay them. If they were not doing real work like flood control they would just be blowing even more of our money playing war games.

 

[karrie]

If the government is not covering their costs, what are they supposed to do?

Frankly, it's a shame to see tax cuts make something like our military irrelevant.

Cut their budget, they can't afford to help. They can't afford to help, they're not doing anything, cut their budget. Keep down that path and before long it will be a skeleton crew whose sole purpose is to aid in training US troops in cold weather survival, so that they can protect us if the **** goes down.

 

[petros]

Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger should be thinking about flooding and booking ahead right now. There is lots of snow in the Assiniboine watershed again his year.

 

[Serryah]

This is total BS; we should be spending more on the military, not less and this is one reason why.

 

[Machjo]

Say wut?

The Canadian Forces has decided to start charging municipalities and provinces to cover the costs whenever the military is called upon to help in emergencies such as floods and wildfires, according to internal Defence Department documents obtained by Postmedia News. Military officials say federal budget cuts are to blame for the move, which ends a 15-year practice of waiving efforts to recover such costs and could force communities and provinces to think twice before calling the Canadian Forces for help.

Supporting provincial and municipal governments during natural disasters in Canada has long been considered one of military’s most important missions.

In the past two years, Canadian soldiers have helped fight flooding in Manitoba and Quebec and evacuated, housed and fed residents of northern Ontario communities threatened by forest fires.

The costs borne by the military varied from nearly $4 million for the flooding in Quebec and $3.8 million for flood mitigation in Manitoba, to $51,000 for evacuating and feeding the threatened communities in Northern Ontario.

The assistance was considered critical for protecting lives and livelihoods — and earned the Canadian Forces high praise from across the country.

“Manitobans will never forget the unwavering support of the Canadian Forces during this unprecedented natural disaster,” Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger said in May 2011 after floods hit that province.

“Without hesitation, the Canadian Forces were here for us when we needed them and with their help we were able to avoid catastrophe on the Assiniboine River. Although the flood fight is not over yet, particularly on Lake Manitoba, military assistance has helped us get through the worst.”

But such good will may be in short supply going forward as provinces and municipalities, which have received help from the Canadian Forces without cost for more than a decade, will now be forced to pay for such assistance.


more


Military to charge provinces, communities for disaster relief | canada.com



related:

Your Canadian Forces rescuers are here, will that be cash or cheque? | Full Comment | National Post

I likes that. User-pay. It gives municipalities an incentive to think twice about giving building permits right next to the river with a highway right behind and a massive cliff behind that.

This is total BS; we should be spending more on the military, not less and this is one reason why.

We will be. That's what the charges are for. It's just that those of us who didn't allow building permits right next to the river or right next to the cliff won't pay as much as those that didn't.

 

[JamesBondo]

They say the audit is a planned distraction, but I have to wonder if the hunger strike was a planned distraction to the audit. It looks like there needs to be a serious change in accountability of funding, the chiefs could stand to benefit by the distract of a hunger strike to whitewash things and muddy the waters.

 

[PoliticalNick]

Everyone seems to be forgetting that these men & women in the armed forces are paid by & work for the citizens of Canada not 308 idiots in Ottawa. That means if we want to send them to war they go to war and if we want them to build a dyke then they build a dyke and if we tell them to move a big pile of snow 8" to the left they had better do it.

If they don't think they are getting enough money from the govt then maybe they should refuse to go to foreign countries to fight other people's illegal wars...that ought to save a few billion a year.

 

[Goober]

Everyone seems to be forgetting that these men & women in the armed forces are paid by & work for the citizens of Canada not 308 idiots in Ottawa. That means if we want to send them to war they go to war and if we want them to build a dyke then they build a dyke and if we tell them to move a big pile of snow 8" to the left they had better do it.

If they don't think they are getting enough money from the govt then maybe they should refuse to go to foreign countries to fight other people's illegal wars...that ought to save a few billion a year.

The point is the Govt takes those funds from the operating budget for the Military. You post is well a tad off.

 

[Mowich]

There is merit in what you say about provinces/municipalities that have allowed people to build and re-build in flood plains, Machjo.

At the same time, it seems to me that if we can't afford to have the military come to our aid in times of disaster then maybe we should reconsider sending them to other countries for the same reason.

 

[PoliticalNick]

The point is the Govt takes those funds from the operating budget for the Military. You post is well a tad off.

My point is that if we, the citizens, want our military to assist in disaster relief within our own borders then we need to let the morons in Ottawa know, in no uncertain terms, that they either fund this service or start looking for a new career after the next election. I am tired of seeing so many people that think we have to do what the govt says when really they have to do what we say....or else!

 

[#juan]

I don't think the military should be deciding whether or not they are going on these rescue missiond. Those decisions
have to be made by the government in power and you are right Mowich, we have to have priorities. Helping our people
should always come first.

 

[Mowich]

My point is that if we, the citizens, want our military to assist in disaster relief within our own borders then we need to let the morons in Ottawa know, in no uncertain terms, that they either fund this service or start looking for a new career after the next election. I am tired of seeing so many people that think we have to do what the govt says when really they have to do what we say....or else!

Both you and juan make good points regarding this announcement, PN. It isn't up to the military - it is up to the government and yes, we need to let the latter know that we are not best pleased.

 

[captain morgan]

Everyone seems to be forgetting that these men & women in the armed forces are paid by & work for the citizens of Canada not 308 idiots in Ottawa. That means if we want to send them to war they go to war and if we want them to build a dyke then they build a dyke and if we tell them to move a big pile of snow 8" to the left they had better do it.

If they don't think they are getting enough money from the govt then maybe they should refuse to go to foreign countries to fight other people's illegal wars...that ought to save a few billion a year.

Just because the military is funded out of the taxpayer base is not justification to consider them to be the jack of all trades in the nation... Doctors, teachers and bureaucrats are also funded via the taxpayer, yet this same logic is not applied to them.

 

[Nuggler]

I don't think the military should be deciding whether or not they are going on these rescue missiond. Those decisions
have to be made by the government in power and you are right Mowich, we have to have priorities. Helping our people
should always come first.

Or else, areas which get flooded, burned, rioted, are very likely to stay that way.. Good luck with a repeat ice storm like we had a few years ago.

As well as having no clothes, the emperor is a ****ing idiot.

 

[Goober]

I don't think the military should be deciding whether or not they are going on these rescue missiond. Those decisions
have to be made by the government in power and you are right Mowich, we have to have priorities. Helping our people
should always come first.

The Military does not make those decisions- never has - never will- they take direction- orders from the Govt.

 

[ChristianMN]

How is it any different than contracting a Militia like the RCMP to police your streets and highways?

Having been a member of the Canadian Forces. It is very different. When you join the Armed Forces you take a vow to the Queen and the nation of Canada. When you call the police you don't expect to be charged for the services they provide because the crown covers you as a victim.

The purpose of the military is to protect you from being a victim. The same can be said for the police, the government, doctors, nurses, paramedics and firefighters. They all exist to protect you. Government and essential services can never be truly contract based. They all protect and so are all essential.

 

[Machjo]

There is merit in what you say about provinces/municipalities that have allowed people to build and re-build in flood plains, Machjo.

At the same time, it seems to me that if we can't afford to have the military come to our aid in times of disaster then maybe we should reconsider sending them to other countries for the same reason.

Build in a flood plain all you want; just make sure the construction is appropriate, such as a foundation that raises the building sufficiently off the ground and have a canoe in the raised shed just in case. problem solved. Then when a flood comes along, it's no more serious than a little too much snow.


Oh yes, you might want the car garage to be appropriately elevated too.

 

[petros]

Having been a member of the Canadian Forces. It is very different. When you join the Armed Forces you take a vow to the Queen and the nation of Canada. When you call the police you don't expect to be charged for the services they provide because the crown covers you as a victim.

The purpose of the military is to protect you from being a victim. The same can be said for the police, the government, doctors, nurses, paramedics and firefighters. They all exist to protect you. Government and essential services can never be truly contract based. They all protect and so are all essential.

RCMP is contracted by municpalities and they charge a fee to the municpality which is part of property taxes, it's not a provided service.

Meatwagons, Drs, hospitals are businesses that bill for their services just like the RCMP does.