Flood risk has long been an issue of contention in Canada in terms of whose responsibility it is to take action that will counter the rising risk of flooding across the country. The answer is both simple and complex at the same time. Simply put, we are all responsible for doing what we can to mitigate flood risk in Canada – from individual home and business owners through key stakeholders like developers, the insurance industry and the provincial and federal governments. The complexity comes in finding an effective and efficient way for all parties work together.
One roadblock preventing more successful and collaborative flood risk mitigation in Canada is the lack of transparency around data and knowledge sharing. According to a study published in June by researchers at Environment and Climate Change Canada, only 6% of Canadian homeowners surveyed were correctly able to identify they are living in a high-risk flood area. That is just one example of how the information collected and understood by some parties is not filtering down effectively through to the Canadian public.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC)has long argued that all stakeholders – private sector and government – must share the information they have in order to improve flood resilience in Canada. IBC vice-president of federal affairs Craig Stewart recently told CBC Radio: “You may buy a home based on municipal information, thinking it’s low-risk, but then find out that your bank or insurer views it as high-risk, which obviously would make you unhappy. So, it’s up to us, frankly, in the private sector, and with governments, to get our act together and start sharing information much more actively than we’re doing right now.”
Data sharing is just one action the insurance industry has taken to combat Canada’s flood risk problem, according to Jim Mandeville (pictured), senior project manager at First OnSite Restoration – a restoration firm that knows only too well the impact of flooding upon business owners and homeowners across Canada. He commented: “What we’ve seen from the insurance community is that they’re beginning to offer a lot of discounts, as well as a lot of guidance on renewal for their customers on things they can do to their building to make it more flood resilient. We see insurance companies promoting the use of leak detection equipment that can be installed on water supply lines. We also see them promoting, and, in some cases, mandating drain flow protection equipment, or backflow preventers, as they’re often called.”
This type of knowledge sharing, guidance and flood mitigation tips and tricks are more important than ever in the context of COVID-19 – especially for Canadian businesses who have had to leave properties dormant under mandatory shutdown orders. It’s critical, according to Mandeville, that companies pay the same detailed attention to building maintenance and inspection through any periods of disruption because early detection of a flood can greatly reduce the amount of mitigation or clean-up costs associated with a loss.
“As for homeowners, many of us have a lot more time around our homes than we’ve had perhaps in our entire adult lives. It’s a great time to take a very detailed look around the outside of our homes to make sure that nothing looks out of place,” Mandeville added. “Have a look at your roof from across the street and have a look around the perimeter of your foundation to look for low spots or anywhere where there’s a puddle. Puddles close to or up against the house are always a really bad sign. Downspouts that come from the eaves trough should be pointed out far away from the house - I know none of us like cutting the grass around them, but if they’re too close to the house, you’re going to have water in the basement. Now is definitely a good time to have a good in-depth look around the house since most of us are stuck at home anyway.”
As for multi-stakeholder collaboration, while Mandeville supports the premise, he also stressed that businesses and homeowners must take all steps they can to protect their own assets and plan for all eventualities that could happen to their properties rather than necessarily relying on infrastructure or public/private plans to protect them.
