The distribution by the Metropolitan Community of Montreal (CMM) of the preliminary version of the new mapping of flood zones was a shock for the mayors of the affected municipalities, who visually noted that thousands of residences which were flooded in 2017 and 2019 now find themselves… in a flood zone.
Some are attacking the Ministry of the Environment and its new rules, which now designate these sectors according to their exposure to flood risks, from low to very high. “They should have left it to the municipalities. And we would have made regulations accordingly,” affirmed a municipal elected official in an article in the Duty published on 1er october.
On the contrary, we need provincial arbitration and we, from the Rivières Foundation, say “Bravo! » to the Ministry of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks (MELCCFP), which had the courage to rely on science and present reality as it is. Its project to modernize the regulatory framework applicable to flood-prone areas is ambitious and realistic, since it integrates the expected upheavals of climate change and is equipped with updated cartographic tools.
In its regulatory framework, the Ministry also takes into account the concept of “mobility zones” of watercourses. Water must circulate and, if we prevent it from getting to one place, it will flood another. The residents of Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac are fortunately protected by a dike, but this protection has a consequence for the neighbors who, for their part, receive more water when the levels rise, with the possibility of receding banks. and erosion.
The CMM’s proposal to have separate designations and standards for sectors with protective infrastructure, such as a dike, is worrying, since it suggests that these areas are no longer at risk of flooding and that building a dike should be the rule, while it must remain the exception.
Many neighborhoods were built in flood zones, and we will not repeat the past. We must show solidarity with these neighboring owners and promote compensation measures where possible, put in place resilience initiatives, create areas capable of absorbing water during heavy rainfall, but also provide space for rivers and recognize that no dike in the world will be able to hold back the water that is intensely overflowing.
In addition, we must distinguish the findings of science from its financial consequences. Financial institutions have already taken into account the economic risk of building in a flood zone with or without a dike. The value of these properties has already suffered from this reality, and the new regulations will not change that.
Climate change is forcing us to adapt our territories. This process is an opportunity to collectively provide ourselves with more access to nature, riverside parks, and to protect or restore wetlands in these flood-prone areas. We can draw inspiration from the Netherlands, where the national initiative Room for the River made it possible to redevelop alluvial plains to limit the impact of flooding, while providing areas of natural space accessible to the general public. However, two ingredients are necessary to carry out these transformations.
Firstly, a collective discussion must take place on these subjects, so that decisions are taken at the territorial level, and not individually, and that all stakeholders come together around the table: citizens, municipalities, but also insurers and ministries . As the CMM very well mentions, it is high time to address and debate these questions which are becoming urgent.
Secondly, financial resources must be released to enable these measures to be implemented: it is not enough to finance the development of action plans, adaptation measures must be taken care of, such as the repurchase of homes that are too high risk. , immunization measures, etc. It is imperative to give municipalities and citizens the means to mobilize in order to make the necessary changes.
Indeed, once the regulations have been adopted, neighborhoods in flood zones must not be abandoned to the vagaries and whims of a few specific compensation programs during flood events: it is necessary to provide municipalities with tools, financial and management, so that they can rethink with their citizens the valorization and transformation of these sectors.
The new MELCCFP regulations pave the way by putting in place maps and regulatory measures representing the reality of climate change. It is time to equip ourselves with the financial and collective means to carry out the changes necessary for a safer and more resilient society.