Project Name
Role of Government in services for natural disaster reduction

Principal Investigator
Gordon McBean, J. Davies, A. Slivinski, P. Kopas

Objective
This research project will investigate the past and present roles of government scientific agencies in activities that provide information and services contributing to the reduction in impacts of natural hazards in Canada. These activities include weather forecasting, earthquake and water monitoring and surveys and the science that supports their better understanding. The analysis will examine, from both the economic and policy points-of-view, the rationale for a government role and how it has changed. The study will also include a comparison of the Canadian situation with the roles in other countries (US, UK, Australia). In recent years, while the government sector has been reduced, there has been growth in the academic and private sectors and the study will consider the relative merits of the roles of these sectors. The information and analysis generated by this project will provide input into decision making by governments on appropriate roles and funding for agencies in the future, consistent with their roles in disaster reduction.