FLOODSImproving Canada’s Resilience to Flooding

Published 28 November 2022

Climate change is having a direct impact on natural disasters, including flooding, increasing the scale, frequency, and unpredictability of these events. The government of Canada said that is why it is making investments to strengthen Canada’s resilience to climate change and reduce the impact of flooding on our communities.

Climate change is having a direct impact on natural disasters, including flooding, increasing the scale, frequency, and unpredictability of these events. The government of Canada said that is why it is making investments to strengthen Canada’s resilience to climate change and reduce the impact of flooding on our communities.

Last Week, Bill Blair, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness, announced new federal funding of over $585,000 for a research project led by l’Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) that will examine how much flooding will cost in the future and how public policy can contribute to Canada’s resilience to climate change.

This project, completed in partnership with the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), the Université Laval and the University of Waterloo, builds on other work, including the interdisciplinary Task Force on Flood Insurance and Relocation’s report Adapting to Rising Flood Risk: An Analysis of Insurance Solutions for Canada, which provides the evidence and information required to support decision-making and the way forward on a national flood insurance program, with special considerations for potential strategic relocation of those in higher-risk areas.

The Government of Canada will continue to help Canadians whose jobs and lives are affected when disasters strike, help communities prepare for the realities of increased climate-related risks and disasters and ultimately, increase the country’s resiliency to the impacts of flooding.

“Flooding, and the risk of repeat flooding, can have a significant impact on our sense of security. As climate change increases the frequency of flooding across the country, Canadians deserve access to financial protection. This research project will support our government’s goal to increase flood resilience by using science-based solutions, and I’m grateful for the leadership of these three institutions and the Insurance Bureau of Canada in improving flood risk management,” said Blair.

Mathieu Boudreault, actuary and professor at UQAM’s Department of Mathematics, and principal researcher for the project

Quick Facts

·  In addition to the release of the Task Force on Flood Insurance and Relocation’s report Adapting to Rising Flood Risk: An Analysis of Insurance Solutions for Canada, the Government of Canada is developing the country’s first National Adaptation Strategy. This strategy will outline how the Canadian economy and society can be more resilient and prepared for the impacts of climate change.