New Brunswick is making changes to disaster financial assistance when it comes to payouts and buyouts. Public Safety Minister Kris Austin said that from 2014 to 2020, disaster assistance payouts in New Brunswick totalled around $335 million. The province is responsible for $76 million of that figure, the rest is covered by the federal government, he said. Speaking at a news conference this week, Austin said changes needed to be made because the government "cannot afford to continue with business as usual" as the frequency and intensity of weather events continues to increase.