There was no shortage of discussion surrounding disaster management, as the provincial government and Association of Manitoba Municipalities hosted an event focused on emergency management. The event saw municipal representatives from across the province, provincial officials, and other interested parties fill the room. Assistant Deputy Minister for Emergency Measures and Protective Services Lee Spencer led the event, noting it was the first conference of its kind.

"There's another activity that happens every 18 months that's based on the community of emergency managers and they have a different agenda sometimes. I thought it was more important to talk about the future, than to learn lessons from the past. Not that we shouldn't learn lessons from the past, but I think the other conference is focused on that. Whatever we decide to build on from will be focused in on creating capacity for the future."

emo demographic panel jan1416
A panel discusses emergency measures in evolving communities

The final panel discussion of the day discussed the changing demographics, and how it relates to municipal disaster management. Wilf Falk led the presentation, outlining the changing population size in different regions, as well as the ongoing challenges of aging populations. Spencer notes that's an issue that can't be solved with a blanket solution.

"The story is different in every part of the province so it's very difficult for me, sitting in the provincial government, to have a one-size-fits-all approach to the issues that people are facing. I think we'll be really looking to leverage the data Wilf has to help on a regional or even community basis based on the pressures of demographic changes."

A panel discussion in the morning focused on climate change, and how it impacts emergency management planning. That session was lead by University of Winnipeg Associate Dean of Science Danny Blair, who says the idea of normal weather conditions has become a moving target in recent years. He notes climate change has led to real challenges for municipal emergency planning, meaning municipality's need to take a more proactive approach that addresses the variability seen in recent years.

"How do you prepare for something that's constantly changing? You have to be resilient. You have to have a system that's built to change rapidly to adapt to new information. It has to have all the abilities to be flexible. It needs to be -- the buzzword in our world is -- resilient."

Blair feels while many look at climate change as a future issue, it's here now, and the impacts are already being seen. He describes the current generation as on the front-lines of climate change, and anticipates the problem will only become more apparent if changes aren't made.

Overall, Spencer was thrilled to see about 200 people attend the event, explaining they may hold similar events every two years.

emo climate panel jan1416
The issue of climate change was a hot topic during the event