Closed
Source verified September 22, 2026
Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness — Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA)
Recovery aid for disaster-related losses
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Latest source updateLast Update: September 23, 2026Latest change: New DFA policy guidance now defines which essential access and site service costs are eligible, including driveway, paving, and primary utility rules.View change
Latest source update
Last Update: September 23, 2026
Latest change: New DFA policy guidance now defines which essential access and site service costs are eligible, including driveway, paving, and primary utility rules.
DFA essential access and site services rules updated
Policy 5.18 now sets out the eligible costs for Disaster Financial Assistance related to essential access and site services. It confirms eligibility for items such as filling and levelling an essential accessway, debris removal, and certain repairs to pre-existing culverts, dikes, berms, or bridges, while paving is excluded unless required by local bylaws, building codes, or accessibility reasons. The policy also limits essential access by applicant type, states that only the primary source of a site service is eligible, and requires applicants to provide evidence that they own, have title to, or have rights to the property for claimed costs.
Funding available
$ 400,000
Deadline
Unspecified
Location
Canada
Overview
Disaster Financial Assistance supports British Columbia homeowners, tenants, small businesses, farms, and charitable organizations recovering from uninsurable disaster losses, covering 80% of eligible damage exceeding $1,000 up to $400,000. It can fund structural repairs, replacement of essential personal effects, business and farm materials, cleanup and disinfecting, debris removal, and restoration of essential access.
Receipt of requests is now closed
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At a glance
Funding available
Financing goals
- Renovate or adapt facilities
Eligible Funding
- Maximum amount : 400,000 $
- Up to 80% of project cost
Funds Providers
Eligible candidates
Eligible Industries
- All industries
Location
- Canada
Legal structures
- Non-profit
- For-profit business
Annual revenue
- From $ 10,000 to $ 2,000,000 in revenue
Organisation size
- 50 employees maximum
Audience
- All groups
Non-profit candidates
Sector of operation
- All industries
Target groups
- General public
Revenue structures
- All structures
Scope
- All dimensions
Next Steps
1
Determine your project
2
Validate your eligibility
Availability timeline
2026
Periods: 1
Activities funded
- Repair or replacement of damaged eligible structures.
- Cleanup and disinfection after a disaster.
- Restoration of essential access to fields and outbuildings.
- Repair or replacement of essential personal effects, business materials, farm structures, and charitable organization materials.
Documents Needed
- Completed insurance template by your insurance broker, plus any payout documents.
- Residential tenants: a rental agreement, lease, or other documentation to show that you are or were legally occupying the damaged property at the time of the event, and a copy of government issued identification such as Driver's License, BC Services Card, or BC ID.
- Small business or farm owners: proof of what your insurance covered, any applicable lease agreements, and the required financial documents for the business structure, including the completed T1 general tax return with supporting schedules, the most recently filed financial statements, proof of ownership, the completed T2 with supporting schedules, and the company income statement and balance sheet used for income tax purposes.
- Landlords: complete T1 general income tax returns for all owners of rented property, the T776 Statement of real estate rentals, the residential tenancy agreement, and lease agreements if applicable.
- Charitable or non-profit organizations: a listing of the Directors with contact and address information, proof of registration under the BC Societies Act and annual filings, a statement outlining the organization’s benefit or service to the community, and any other documentation supporting how the organization meets the eligibility criteria for DFA.
Official resources
Program guide
Application form
Eligibility
Who is eligible?
- Home owners
- Residential tenants
- Small business owners
- Farm owners
- Charitable organizations
Eligible expenses
- Structural repair or replacement of an eligible structure, including foundations, footings, seals, slab floors, pilings, structural walls and attached garages; framing, roofing, doors, windows, materials, wall coverings, mouldings, fixtures and finishings; wells, pumps, septic or sewer connections, water connections, electrical servicing, space and water heating equipment and gas connections; retaining walls; and existing protective works designed to protect banks from erosion.
- Cleanup and disinfect, including casual labour at the British Columbia minimum hourly rate up to a maximum of 100 person-hours, and commercial services and rentals provided those services and rentals are not on a continuing basis and conform to rates listed in the BC Equipment Rental Rate Guide.
- Essential access costs, including filling and levelling an essential accessway, debris removal from an essential accessway, re-installing or cleaning out debris from a pre-existing ditch running parallel to an essential access route, and repair of pre-existing culverts, dikes, berms or bridges that form part of the essential access, including additional costs needed to build back to a condition that meets prevailing codes.
- Site services that meet the section 8 definition of eligible costs and are essential to the functioning of an eligible structure, with only the primary source of a site service for an eligible structure deemed eligible.
Ineligible Costs and Activities
- Insurable damages in the private sector, including damage caused by wildfires, earthquakes, snow load, wind storms, sewer or sump pit back-up, and water entry from above ground.
- Insurance deductibles, non-essential and recreational items, land lost due to erosion, landscaping, and luxury goods.
- Income loss, including personal, farm or business operation income or opportunity.
- Costs related to inadequate drainage due to lack of maintenance, insurable vehicles, equipment and vessels, and land value loss except where the land is essential to the farm or business operation.
- Recreational or seasonal structures and their contents, detached or semi-detached garages or carports and their contents, outbuildings unless essential to the operation of the business or farm, and wharves, docks, floats, jetties and other foreshore or backshore improvements.
Eligible geographic areas
- British Columbia
How to apply
- Review the required documentation for the category or categories you are applying for.
- Complete the individuals and organizations application form through the EMCR Disaster Financial Assistance application portal.
- Have your insurance broker complete the appropriate insurance template to include with your application.
- Upload all required documents as directed.
- Submit your application within 90 days of the disaster being declared eligible for DFA.
Processing and Agreement
- The program may contact the applicant to discuss the application and damages and may request additional information to confirm category eligibility.
- Once eligibility has been determined, the file may be assigned to an evaluator to assess the damage.
- After a complete file review, a decision letter will be sent and the decision will be reflected in the DFA portal dashboard.
- If funding is approved, a cheque will be sent to the mailing address and a payment letter will be sent by mail or email.
- Appeals must be submitted within 60 days of the decision, and appeal decisions are final.
Additional information
- The program is administered by the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness under the Emergency Program Act and the Compensation and Disaster Financial Assistance Regulation.
Contacts
Frequently Asked Questions about the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness — Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) Program
What is the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness — Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA)?
Disaster Financial Assistance supports British Columbia homeowners, tenants, small businesses, farms, and charitable organizations recovering from uninsurable disaster losses, covering 80% of eligible damage exceeding $1,000 up to $400,000. It can fund structural repairs, replacement of essential personal effects, business and farm materials, cleanup and disinfecting, debris removal, and restoration of essential access.
How much funding can be received?
Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness — Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) Funds up to 80% of admissible expenses, capped at $400,000 per project.
Who is eligible for the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness — Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) program?
To be eligible for the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness — Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) program, you must:
The claim must relate to uninsurable losses caused by an authorized disaster or emergency event.
The applicant must be a home owner, residential tenant, small business owner, farm owner, or charitable organization.
Home owners and residential tenants must have occupied the affected property as their principal residence at the time of the event.
What expenses are eligible under Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness — Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA)?
Repair or replacement of damaged eligible structures.
Cleanup and disinfection after a disaster.
Restoration of essential access to fields and outbuildings.
Repair or replacement of essential personal effects, business materials, farm structures, and charitable organization materials.
Who can I contact for more information about the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness — Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA)?
You can contact Government of British Columbia (BC) by email at DFA.Private@gov.bc.ca or by phone at 1-888-257-4777.
Where is the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness — Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) available?
The Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness — Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) program is available across Canada.
Is the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness — Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) a grant, loan, or tax credit?
Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness — Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) is a Grant and Funding