Special fund will be created to address extreme weather in Hamilton

A plan for responding to an increasing number of extreme weather events has received initial approval at Hamilton City Hall.

The general issues committee has approved Coun. Chad Collins’ motion calling for the creation of a special reserve fund to address the impacts of climate change.

READ MORE: City of Hamilton offers ‘compassionate grants’ to those with ice storm damage

The Ward 5 Councillor notes that all parts of the city have been affected in recent years.

Among his examples, Collins points to last month’s wind and ice storm, which flooded homes and caused other damage due to erosion along the Lake Ontario shoreline, heavy rain that caused extensive flooding in Dundas in April 2017, and mud and rock slides that have closed escarpment trails and vehicle accesses on multiple occasions in recent years.

READ MORE: Hamilton area dealing with flash flooding after heavy rainfall

Collins adds that “had we dealt with this motion 10 to 15 years ago, we would have debated whether or not it was actually needed because it was a new thing for us.”

He stresses that “it’s no longer new, it’s almost like the new normal.”

READ MORE: City of Hamilton tackling escarpment erosion

The motion, approved during a meeting on Wednesday morning, asks staff to figure out where the money would come from and how much could be set aside each year.

Collins says it could help with the cost of things like flooding and erosion damage while also paying for pro-active measures aimed at reducing future impacts, such as design changes along the escarpment and the city’s waterfront trails.