Ontario’s New Flooding Strategy Has Been Released

Ontario’s Flooding Strategy outlines the province’s next steps to reduce flood risk and help Ontarians be better prepared for flooding events.

The strategy is a government-wide approach to flooding and includes the following actions:

• increasing public access to current and timely information to better understand flood risks and how to prepare for flooding events.
• using improved future rainfall prediction data in long-term transportation infrastructure planning.
• reviewing the outcomes of Ontario’s Build-Back-Better pilot project under the Municipal Disaster Recovery Assistance program.
• establishing a multi-partner flood mapping technical team to participate in a review of current flood mapping technical guides.
• working with the federal government to ensure Ontario’s continued access to national funding programs.

Since the spring of 2019, the Ontario government has taken steps to help protect people and property from flooding, including:

• obtaining new specialized software for emergency preparedness and response to better track, report and manage incidents and emergencies in the province.
• updating key provincial policies, such as the provision of sandbags to municipalities, First Nations and unorganized territories during a flooding emergency.
• engaging municipalities, watershed partners and other key stakeholders in Muskoka, Magnetawan and Upper Ottawa River areas on key water management and operational decisions.
• proceeding with a climate change impact assessment to better understand how climate change affects Ontario.
• launching a $1 million pilot project under the Municipal Disaster Recovery Assistance program to help eligible municipalities impacted by spring flooding (after March 31, 2019) rebuild damaged infrastructure.
• expediting the approvals process for property owners to repair flood-related damage to shorelines.