Flood Resiliency Planning

Many residents have had questions regarding the City’s plans for floodplain protection, particularly regarding buyouts or floodplain relocation.

We are only just beginning our long-term recovery planning processes and at this point no plan has been created. We promise that you will be consulted before any plans are considered for implementation and we want to be transparent about the process we will be following to develop our Flood Resiliency Plan:

• Obtain updated lidar data for the river and floodplain, which is necessary to create accurate plans (Complete).
• Create a first draft Flood Resiliency Plan that will set out various options, their advantages and disadvantages, and costs. The options considered will likely include:
  • Doing nothing – This likely won’t receive serious consideration, though it sets a necessary baseline for understanding and comparing against other options.
  • Develop a better diking system using presently available land (no buyouts) – This will likely have lower upfront costs than other alternatives, though it may lead to less adequate protection and higher response and recovery costs in the future.
  • Maximizing protections, buying out those properties necessary to establish an ideal diking system – Higher upfront costs, but may lead to the best protection for homes in the floodplain and lower long term costs. Could also provide environmental benefits and support community recreation.
  • Buyout of the entire floodplain – Similar to doing nothing, this option may not receive serious consideration, though it will be useful for comparison purposes.
• Engage with the public regarding all options identified, especially seeking feedback from those persons directly affected by flooding as well as upstream and downstream communities.
• Modify the plan and conduct further engagement as necessary.
• Work with the Provincial and Federal governments to fund and implement the option that makes the most sense for our community.

While we cannot yet answer whether properties may be bought out as part of any flood resiliency project, that option will certainly be considered as part of the planning process.

We understand how difficult this past month has been, particularly for those of you whose homes and possessions have been damaged or lost.

Our commitment to you is that we will remain transparent and that we will listen, work to address your needs, and advocate with you as we work together to recover from this disaster and to better protect our community for decades to come.