Coming out of a hemisphere-wide conference, flood risk in Canada is looking a little different.
Federal Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Ralph Goodale, announced the revamping of a national floodplain map framework in Canada, a program defunct since a previous Liberal government disposed of it in 1996.
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Goodale announced Environment Canada would bring back the project in conjunction with the private sector at the Fifth Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas hosted by the
Insurance Bureau of Canada and the Red Cross in Montreal.
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Floodplain mapping in Canada is both necessary and “politically toxic” according to Dr. Blair Feltmate, the University of Waterloo’s head of the
Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation speaking to
Insurance Business last week.
“Governments that would support developing flood plain maps would take a lot of heat from current homeowners who may be now identified as being in a flood plain. All of a sudden you have a $1 million home that is stigmatized and devalued down to half its current value where it’s unsellable,” he said.
Only a few days after Feltmate’s call for the readdressing of floodplains in Canada was published in
Insurance Business, Goodale announced the plan for new maps.
“Our industry remains committed to being a full partner with the federal government as we work together to make Canadian communities safer, stronger and more resilient in the fight against the severe weather effects of climate change,” Craig Stewart, IBC Vice President of Federal Affairs said.
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