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By Ben Tompkins

Targeted Sector Support Initiative

Town of Watson receives $100k in funding for Regional Emergency Management Program

Feb 15, 2024 | 5:17 PM

The Town of Watson and the surrounding area are trying to become more prepared in case of a major emergency.

They have applied for Targeted Sector Support (TSS) funding three times now, and earlier this week, they learned that they are receiving $100k in funding from the provincial government for their Regional Emergency Management Program.

“We’re super excited because we applied three times,” said Watson Chief Administrative Officer, Lani Best. “It’s been funding holding us up and there’s such a high need for this, so we’re excited to hit the ground running.”

The goal of the program is to create a regional Emergency Management Office, which will be responsible for emergency planning and coordinating emergency responses.

The office will then work with municipal authorities to help plan for emergencies, coordinate provincial resources when there is an emergency and help with analysis and evaluation after an emergency.

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“These are for large-scale emergencies when you have like a flooding event, a fire event that is beyond normal rate, or it could even be a weather event where you need provincial assistance or assistance from other communities in the region,” added Best.

The funding stream is through regional cooperation and will involve 10 community partners.

Included are the City of Humboldt, Village of Englefeld, Village of Annaheim, Village of Muenster, Village of St. Gregor, the RM of St. Peter and more.

“The need is so high for every single community, we don’t have the human resources to dedicate the amount of time that’s needed, so by working together, we can hire one person,” Best told northeastNOW.

Because an emergency preparedness plan is fairly universal, the base for each community can be created, with subtle differences mixed in.

The program would also be considered a living document, as details would continuously change and evolve based on varying circumstances.

For now, Watson will be focused on finding someone they can hire to create and lead this program, with the hope that a plan can be put into place in the next couple of months.

More funding will also likely be needed in the future, to ensure it keeps running, but as it stands today, they now have enough funds to get it going.

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