Assistant Deputy Minister, Emergency Management Division, Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure
Dr. Johanu Botha holds one of the few PhDs in Canada that is specialized in Canadian emergency management. His background is focused on determining effective collaboration across all levels of government and the military during all phases of emergency management, and he has served as an officer in the Canadian Armed Forces during domestic disaster responses. His work on floods, wildfires, and hurricanes is one of this country's only multi-hazard, multi-province, large-scale disaster response doctoral analyses, published in 2022 as a textbook for emergency managers, officials, soldiers, and scholars - Boots on the Ground: Disaster Response in Canada (Boots on the Ground: Disaster Response in Canada: Botha, Johanu: 9781487529772: Books - Amazon.ca).
Johanu took lead of the Manitoba Emergency Measures Organization in 2019 to bring a strategic, whole-of-government lens to emergency management with an extra focus on mitigation efforts that reduce disaster impacts over the long term. Some of the Manitoba Emergency Measures Organization initiatives overseen by Johanu include a revamped Disaster Financial Assistance program, launching a new Mitigation and Preparedness Program, and successfully coordinating government's response to multiple natural disasters, including the massive 2022 flood. Johanu has brought emergency management expertise and capacity to other large operations, including Manitoba's successful COVID-19 vaccination roll out and integrating displaced Ukrainians into the province.
Participating in: Innovating with data to improve public health responses to crises
