The Ontario government slashed its funding to the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority (LTVCA) in half, coinciding with cuts being made to environment sectors across the province. It will not, however, deter the organization from providing flood management services in the region, according to Chief Administrative Officer Mark Peacock.
Every year since the late 90s the Ontario government has committed $157,000 in funding to the organization. With the cuts to the flood management program, it means the organization will receive roughly $77,000. This provincial funding is put toward flood management and forecasting. According to Peacock, it is a small but significant amount of the LTVCA's annual $3.2 million operating budget.
Flood management services will remain fully-funded despite the provincial government's decision to cut its share, said Peacock.
"This is not a program that we can just walk away from," he said. "The money that we spend is important for the community and we will continue doing the job we are asked to do."
Money sent by the government is put toward research in flood forecasting, maintaining gauge systems, and analyzing the flow of the Thames River. This allows for the LTVCA to warn people if a flood is on the horizon, said Peacock.
These practices were on display in February 2018 during a flood which triggered a state of emergency in the region. During the ordeal, the LTVCA's job was to update emergency services and ensure the municipality aware of what was going.
Despite the cuts, the service will remain intact.
"We will look at how we have to re-arrange things and start figuring out what we have to cut back on in order to maintain flood forecasting and warning," he said. "This is a very high priority for the conservation authority and we will have to find the money."