Summary of the Evaluation of the National Disaster Mitigation Program (NDMP)

About the Program

• The NDMP was created in April 2015 to address the increasing risks and costs of flood disasters in Canada through two components:
  • The Mitigation Contribution Component (MCC) provided financial support to provinces and territories for cost-shared projects; and
  • The Targeted National Capabilities Component (TNCC) helped in building the foundation for future mitigation efforts.

What We Examined

The evaluation examined relevance and performance of the NDMP from 2015-16 to 2018-19.

What we found

• Flood disasters are the most common and costly natural disasters affecting Canada. There is a continued need for a national approach to support investments in flood disaster mitigation.
• The NDMP complements other federal programs that provide funding for mitigation projects such as the Public Safety Canada's Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements Program and the Infrastructure Canada's Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund.
• There is a need for future mitigation programming to consider interplays between hazards to increase resilience in Canadian communities.
• The MCC contributed to an increase in the number of Canadian communities that undertook mitigation investment projects. 363 projects were funded in 117 communities; mostly flood mapping and non-structural and structural mitigation projects.
• Challenges were found with the ability of the MCC to invest the total allocated budget, and for some PTs and First Nations communities to fully participate in the program.
• Administrative requirements and time limits for structural projects were seen as barriers.
• Analysis of demographic data revealed that the NDMP funded communities with higher representation of vulnerable populations, such as seniors and Indigenous People.
• The TNCC developed some of the planned mitigation tools including the Federal Flood Mapping Series and the National Emergency Management System. There is a continuing need to further promote the utilization of these tools.
• The TNCC conducted targeted awareness campaigns and held four Annual Roundtables as part of the engagement activities; and advanced discussion on flood insurance across Canada. There is still a need to expand Canada's flood insurance market.

Recommendations

In the spirit of continuous improvement and the potential for future disaster mitigation programming, the assistant deputy minister of the Emergency Management and Programs Branch should:

Administrative Improvements

1. Consider taking measures to better align any future disaster mitigation program timelines and processes with the PTs, and to streamline administrative and reporting requirements to facilitate participation of all eligible recipients;
2. Examine existing requirements for structural mitigation projects (stream 4), including exploring potential options relating to the time limit, to reflect the realities in planning and completing structural mitigation projects; and
3. Further promote the use of the national risk and resilience tools and repository among relevant audiences.

Future Mitigation Programs:

4. Explore policy options to support all-hazard mitigation efforts to reduce disaster risks and related recovery costs across Canada.

For more detailed findings, read the full Evaluation of the National Disaster Mitigation Program.

Date modified:

2020-01-28