Canada has a new searchable flood risk tool. You just can't search it yet
The online tool will show address-level flood risk only in jurisdictions that opt in, and the auditor general says it misses future climate impacts.
- On Tuesday, Ottawa's national flood risk finder remained unusable one week after launch, as no provinces or territories had publicly opted into the program required to display search results.
- Ottawa committed $15.3 million in the 2023 budget to create the portal after a 2020 University of Waterloo survey found only six per cent of Canadians in flood-prone areas understood their local flood risks.
- On Monday, the Auditor General's report criticized the system for omitting climate change data, while flood risk expert Jason Thistlethwaite called the opt-in requirement an "abandonment" of the government's responsibility.
- Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski defended the rollout, stating it was not the federal government's place "to force" participation as provinces like Quebec develop their own mapping tools.
- About 10 per cent of households cannot obtain flood insurance, with the Insurance Bureau of Canada estimating annual property damage in Canada approaches $3 billion as climate-driven flooding intensifies.
27 Articles
27 Articles
The Toronto Star
Canada has a new searchable flood risk tool. You just can’t search it yet.
The online tool, in the works for years, will allow users to conduct a simple address search and find out about the area's flood risk, rated on a four-point scale.
Winnipeg Free Press
Canada has a new searchable flood risk tool. You just can't search it yet.
Breaking News, Sports, Manitoba, Canada
Houston government opts out of Canada’s new 'Flood Risk Finder,' depriving Nova Scotians of critical information
The flood hazard portal allows Canadians to type in their address to find out the nature and level of flood risk to their home, or could do. But only if their province or territory opts in to the online portal. The post Houston government opts out of Canada’s new ‘Flood Risk Finder,’ depriving Nova Scotians of critical information appeared first on Halifax Examiner.
Canada's new flood risk research tool will only be available in provinces and territories that choose to participate in the program.
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