Quebec plans to deploy more responders in the event of natural disasters

As of April 1, Quebec will be able to deploy 200 additional responders on the ground to assist municipalities in the event of a natural disaster.

Public Security Minister François Bonnardel was in Quebec City on Friday to present members of his new Civil Security Emergency Response Reserve (RIUSC).

In the event of floods, ice storms, or fires, the RIUSC can help municipalities that request it to protect infrastructure or set up emergency shelters, for example.

Thanks to these additional human resources, Quebec will no longer need the Canadian Armed Forces as much during major disasters, according to Bonnardel.

“When the wildfires ended in 2023, we sat down with the teams and asked ourselves, ‘What are we doing to be able to better respond to natural disasters?'” he said.

The RIUSC is a first in Canada, he said. “It’s a start. It’s 200 members who live across Quebec and who have this will, this capacity. The key is response time,” he added.

The Minister of Public Security predicts Quebec will face more natural disasters in the years to come.

The RIUSC will provide assistance to municipalities that request it during disasters that exceed their operational capacity.
Before requesting the intervention of the RIUSC, a municipality must first have set up its disaster response coordination structure and requested the support of its Regional Civil Security Directorate.

It must also have used the resources available through its intermunicipal mutual aid agreements.

Municipalities receiving support from the reserve will be required to cover part of the cost. They can submit the entire amount in their claim under the ministry’s assistance programs.

“We can’t hide the fact that climate change has been affecting us for several years. The year 2023 has been immensely difficult,” Bonnardel recalled on Friday.

The 200 newly trained men and women who are part of the RIUSC come primarily from the Quebec Association of Search and Rescue Volunteers.

They will be paid for their work in the field, said Bonnardel, whose stated goal is to train 1,000 people within five years. The RIUSC receives $30.5 million in funding.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews