It’s now accepted wisdom that frequent floods are no coincidence. With climate change, most of Canada will experience higher than average rainfall. Add the greater snowmelt run-off caused by rising temperatures, and more severe storms, and the risks of urban flooding across Canada have grown. These stark realities mean that governments, in particular the province of Ontario, need to urgently increase action on flood prevention, climate change mitigation, and adaptation — with natural infrastructure solutions as an increasingly favourable way to reduce flooding’s harm.
Ontario's Flooding Problem
Climate Change
Flooding Timeline
DURHAM
While most of the attention around flooding in Durham Region has recently focused on people living close to Lake Ontario, Durham residents living close to a river or in a neighbourhood with an inadequate stormwater system can also experience flooding.
TORONTO
Toronto residents got a taste of the future in 2013 when almost 130 mm of rain fell in a couple of hours on a hot and humid July afternoon. Toronto’s aging stormwater system was just too small to handle the water. Shortly after the rain started, water entered subway and hydro stations, turned roads and transportation corridors into mini lakes and flooded countless basements.
NIAGARA
Water defines Niagara Region by the lakes that surround it and the canals and rivers that run through it. Residents know the power water has to shape Niagara, thanks to the mighty Falls: They also know the damage it can cause. Over the past few years, high river and lake levels have caused serious flooding from Fort Erie to the south to St. Catharines to the north.