Faced with a flu pandemic or a major weather disaster, the various levels of government wouldn't know who is responsible for what or how to pay for a response, says a spokesman for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

James Knight, the federation's CEO, said a lack of funding and communication between governments could hamper their ability to deal with emergencies.

"I think to get that to happen quickly and without interruption and seamlessly, we have to be working closer together to plan in advance," said Knight, who is in Ottawa Tuesday as the federation meets to discuss those problems.

Governments didn't learn from ice storm, SARS: Knight

Governments have not learned from events like Toronto's 2003 SARS crisis, he said, or the devastating 1998 ice storm that left eastern Ontario and southern Quebec residents in the freezing cold and dark for days.

Knight added that municipalities need to take a strong role in deciding how government responsibilities are ultimately portioned out, especially now.

"Of course, weather-related disasters seem to be really on the upswing," he said. "But we're faced with potential medical issues as well — in fact, a [flu] pandemic is expected. And so we really have to keep our guard up."

Sherbrooke, Que., Mayor Jean Perrault said his community is working on a plan in case of a pandemic, one that the province has already signed on to but the federal government has not.

Perrault said that during the ice storm, mayors in Quebec's Eastern Townships, where Sherbrooke is located, were left to fend for themselves.

He said governments have to do better if an even larger disaster strikes. He said Quebec, Canada and the cities have never had to cope with a large-scale disaster like a flu pandemic.

"We never saw anything like that, so we have to get ready," he said.