Take Action

I'm ready to reduce my home's flood risk.

Most homes are at risk of flooding due to increasingly heavy rainstorms and plumbing leaks. Take a few minutes to complete a home flood protection check-up to receive a confidential report.

Assess Now

I’m ready to learn about installing Natural Infrastructure where I live.

Thanks for your interest in installing Natural Infrastructure on your property. From the list below, please select the Natural Infrastructure you are interested in.

What are you interested in?
- Planting Trees
- Installing a Rain Garden
- Installing a Rain Barrel
- Depaving
Planting Trees

Trees are incredible: they soak up water, carbon dioxide and heat. They create habitat for urban critters, they’re beautiful, they can reduce your air conditioning costs and they increase property values.
Is planting a tree for you? Answer these questions to find out.
- Do you think you have space for a tree to grow without harming any building foundations, underground pipes or interfering with any overhead wires?
- Can you visit a local nursery to buy a tree or are you ready to enroll in a local tree planting program?
- Are you ready to take care of your new tree (and existing trees on your property) by watering it regularly and making sure it stays healthy?
If you answered “Yes” to these questions, please read on. If not, please consider other Natural Infrastructure options.

Tree Planting Resources
- Do it yourself
- Find an arborist
Local Tree Planting Programs:
Many conservation authorities run tree-planting programs, find your local CA and reach out here.
Rain Gardens

Rain gardens do a lot more than just soak up the rain. They also provide habitat for pollinators and improve local biodiversity. And they look great too!
Is a Rain Garden for You? Answer these questions to find out:
- Do you have space for a rain garden (an area 3m away from your foundation that gently slopes away from any building foundations)?
- Do you like having butterflies and other pollinators visit?
- Are you willing to get your hands dirty and do some basic gardening?
If you answered yes to these questions, please read on. If not, consider another Natural Infrastructure option.

Rain Garden Resources:
Local Rain Garden Initiatives:
Installing a Rain Barrel

Rain barrels are an ancient technology designed for people who need water for their plants. Once they are installed (you may need a professional installer to help), rain barrels are a free source of natural, fresh water that will help reduce your water bill and keep your plants happy.
Is installing a rain barrel for you? Answer these questions to find out.
- Do you use water from a tap to water your plants?
- Do you have space for a rain barrel close to a downspout and a way to get it to the plants you want to water?
- Do you like free water?
If you answered “Yes” to these questions, please read on. If not, please consider other Natural Infrastructure options.

Rain Garden Resources:
- Do it yourself
- Do it yourself–video
Local Rain Barrel Initiatives:
- Fundraise with your community with a Rain Barrel Sale
Depaving

Depaving is replacing hard surfaces -like asphalt and concrete- with permeable surfaces such as interlocking bricks, flowers, bushes, and other plants. Depaving helps soak up the rain and improves the overall look of your property. Depaving also helps reduce the amount of rain water you send into the stormwater system thereby reducing the harm caused by flooding.
Is depaving for you? Answer these questions to find out.
- Do you have concrete and asphalt surfaces that aren’t necessary?
- Are you thinking about replacing existing concrete walkways and/or driveways?
- Do you want to improve the chances of the stormwater system working properly?
If you answered “Yes” to these questions, please read on. If not, please consider other Natural Infrastructure options.

Local Depaving Initiatives:
Reep's Depave Paradise Green Community's Canada Depave Paradise
Green Venture’s Depave Paradise in Hamilton

Other Depaving Resources:
Landscape Ontario: Paving the Future
Phone
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

I want the Federal Government to help My Community install Natural Infrastructure

Trees, rain gardens, permeable pavement, green roofs, rain barrels, and community gardens: these examples of Natural Infrastructure do much more than just soak up the rain and reduce the harm caused by flooding, they:

create resilient communities (eg. by reducing the urban heat island effect and providing locally-grown food)
improve our mental well-being and physical health
provide habitat for pollinators and promoting urban biodiversity
create green jobs

Help harness the incredible power of Natural Infrastructure in your community. Please join your fellow Canadians and ask the Federal Government to invest in a program to help community members install Natural Infrastructure as part of the COVID Recovery.

On April 19th, 2021 the Federal Government announced a new $200 million Natural Infrastructure Fund. Please send a letter to the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, and the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities urging them to invest part of the new $200 million fund in community efforts to install Natural Infrastructure.

Please send a letter to the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, and the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities urging them to invest in urban-based Natural Infrastructure.

This Action is brought to you by Unflood Ontario, a network of groups led by Community Foundations, working together to “unflood Ontario” by educating and engaging the public about the impact of floods and the multiple benefits of Natural Infrastructure.

Name*
First Last
Email*
LETTER TO DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER FREELAND AND MINISTER MCKENNA.
Please send this on my behalf
Dear Deputy Prime Minister Freeland and Minister McKenna,

Thank you so much for proposing a Natural Infrastructure Fund in the recent budget. Now, we ask the Government of Canada to invest part of these funds in a program to help community members install Natural Infrastructure solutions. We envision a broadly accessible, locally driven program that targets residents and community groups who want to replace hard surfaces with Natural Infrastructure. We believe this action will contribute to an equitable COVID Recovery with lasting and measurable benefits to the physical, mental and financial health of all Canadians.

We urge the Government of Canada to invest in urban-based Natural Infrastructure solutions, in particular a program that targets homeowners and community groups who want to replace hard surfaces with Natural Infrastructure. We think this action will help create a COVID Recovery that has lasting and measurable benefits to the physical, mental and financial health of Canadians.

As you know, Natural Infrastructure has multiple benefits. It:

- reduces the harm caused by flooding by keeping rainwater out of already overburdened stormwater systems that often overflow and cause expensive and mentally distressing flooding;
- creates green jobs through installation and maintenance;
- promotes urban biodiversity and provides habitat for pollinators that are crucial to ecosystem health and local food production;
- reduces the urban heat island effect and associated public health costs (and trees can help homeowners reduce their air conditioning costs);
- improves mental and physical health;
- improves climate resilience;
- helps homeowners and communities create more pleasing and desirable places.

For these reasons and many more, please set aside funds specifically for community members to install Natural Infrastructure across Canada. We also urge you to work with other orders of government and stakeholders, such as Community Foundations, so that together we can catalyze the installation of rain gardens, trees, green roofs, permeable pavement, community gardens, rain barrels, and other interventions in communities from coast to coast to coast.

The COVID-19 crisis has taught us a large number of small actions can have a huge collective impact. Let’s harness the power of Natural Infrastructure to create a COVID Recovery that reduces the harm caused by flooding and ensures a positive impact on Canadians.
Opt In
- I want to receive information from Unflood Ontario about what I can do to help promote Natural Infrastructure or reduce the harm caused by flooding.

What are you interested in?
- Planting Trees
- Installing a Rain Garden
- Installing a Rain Barrel
- Depaving
Planting Trees

Trees are incredible: they soak up water, carbon dioxide and heat. They create habitat for urban critters, they’re beautiful, they can reduce your air conditioning costs and they increase property values.
Is planting a tree for you? Answer these questions to find out.
- Do you think you have space for a tree to grow without harming any building foundations, underground pipes or interfering with any overhead wires?
- Can you visit a local nursery to buy a tree or are you ready to enroll in a local tree planting program?
- Are you ready to take care of your new tree (and existing trees on your property) by watering it regularly and making sure it stays healthy?
If you answered “Yes” to these questions, please read on. If not, please consider other Natural Infrastructure options.

Tree Planting Resources
- Do it yourself
- Find an arborist
Local Tree Planting Programs:
Many conservation authorities run tree-planting programs, find your local CA and reach out here.
Rain Gardens

Rain gardens do a lot more than just soak up the rain. They also provide habitat for pollinators and improve local biodiversity. And they look great too!
Is a Rain Garden for You? Answer these questions to find out:
- Do you have space for a rain garden (an area 3m away from your foundation that gently slopes away from any building foundations)?
- Do you like having butterflies and other pollinators visit?
- Are you willing to get your hands dirty and do some basic gardening?
If you answered yes to these questions, please read on. If not, consider another Natural Infrastructure option.

Rain Garden Resources:
Local Rain Garden Initiatives:
Installing a Rain Barrel

Rain barrels are an ancient technology designed for people who need water for their plants. Once they are installed (you may need a professional installer to help), rain barrels are a free source of natural, fresh water that will help reduce your water bill and keep your plants happy.
Is installing a rain barrel for you? Answer these questions to find out.
- Do you use water from a tap to water your plants?
- Do you have space for a rain barrel close to a downspout and a way to get it to the plants you want to water?
- Do you like free water?
If you answered “Yes” to these questions, please read on. If not, please consider other Natural Infrastructure options.

Rain Garden Resources:
- Do it yourself
- Do it yourself–video
Local Rain Barrel Initiatives:
- Fundraise with your community with a Rain Barrel Sale
Depaving

Depaving is replacing hard surfaces -like asphalt and concrete- with permeable surfaces such as interlocking bricks, flowers, bushes, and other plants. Depaving helps soak up the rain and improves the overall look of your property. Depaving also helps reduce the amount of rain water you send into the stormwater system thereby reducing the harm caused by flooding.
Is depaving for you? Answer these questions to find out.
- Do you have concrete and asphalt surfaces that aren’t necessary?
- Are you thinking about replacing existing concrete walkways and/or driveways?
- Do you want to improve the chances of the stormwater system working properly?
If you answered “Yes” to these questions, please read on. If not, please consider other Natural Infrastructure options.

Local Depaving Initiatives:
Reep's Depave Paradise Green Community's Canada Depave Paradise
Green Venture’s Depave Paradise in Hamilton

Other Depaving Resources:
Landscape Ontario: Paving the Future
Phone
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Take Action

Reduce
Your Flood
Risk

Install
Natural
Infrastructure

Tell Government
to Help

I'm ready to reduce my home's flood risk.

I’m ready to learn about installing Natural Infrastructure where I live.

Planting Trees

Tree Planting Resources

Local Tree Planting Programs:

Rain Gardens

Rain Garden Resources:

Local Rain Garden Initiatives:

Installing a Rain Barrel

Rain Garden Resources:

Local Rain Barrel Initiatives:

Depaving

Local Depaving Initiatives:

Other Depaving Resources:

I want the Federal Government to help My Community install Natural Infrastructure

Planting Trees

Tree Planting Resources

Local Tree Planting Programs:

Rain Gardens

Rain Garden Resources:

Local Rain Garden Initiatives:

Installing a Rain Barrel

Rain Garden Resources:

Local Rain Barrel Initiatives:

Depaving

Local Depaving Initiatives:

Other Depaving Resources:

Header video provided by Freestock.

BE AN UNFLOODER

Gold Sponsor

CONTACT

Creative Partner

Take Action

ReduceYour Flood Risk

Install Natural Infrastructure

Tell Governmentto Help

I'm ready to reduce my home's flood risk.

I’m ready to learn about installing Natural Infrastructure where I live.

Planting Trees

Tree Planting Resources

Local Tree Planting Programs:

Rain Gardens

Rain Garden Resources:

Local Rain Garden Initiatives:

Installing a Rain Barrel

Rain Garden Resources:

Local Rain Barrel Initiatives:

Depaving

Local Depaving Initiatives:

Other Depaving Resources:

I want the Federal Government to help My Community install Natural Infrastructure

Planting Trees

Tree Planting Resources

Local Tree Planting Programs:

Rain Gardens

Rain Garden Resources:

Local Rain Garden Initiatives:

Installing a Rain Barrel

Rain Garden Resources:

Local Rain Barrel Initiatives:

Depaving

Local Depaving Initiatives:

Other Depaving Resources:

Header video provided by Freestock.

BE AN UNFLOODER

Gold Sponsor

CONTACT

Creative Partner

Reduce
Your Flood
Risk

Install
Natural
Infrastructure

Tell Government
to Help