By MPP Bobbi Ann Brady
As I sit writing this column, rain is teeming down. The fields need it and I know some farmers who have spent the past few weeks irrigating; or ‘irritating’ as we called it in my younger days.
But you likely heard the city of St. Catharines was recently drenched by 250 millimetres of rain. The storms unleashed “two to three times the amount of rain that was forecast.” Destruction was everywhere. It got me thinking again about how paving over large swaths of our province often results in immense flooding. And as you are also aware, one of my passions has been protecting agricultural land through my “Foodbelt” legislation (Bill 21, the Protect Our Food Act) co-written with Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner.
Perhaps Mike and I should begin promoting our foodbelt legislation as flood protection as well. When we pave over land, it basically turns it into an asphalt parking lot. Asphalt does not absorb rain, and no rain can soak into the ground, but rather it flows to the nearest storm sewer grate. And with the sad state of sewer and storm water infrastructure, the deluge becomes too great. Next thing you know, water pools on the streets and overflows into basements wreaking havoc on homeowners.
Flooding is already Canada’s most common and costly natural hazard, and whether you believe it is man-made or part of the Earth’s natural multi-billion-year cycle or both, climate change is having an impact. I fully believe human activity worsens flooding. When we drain wetland, alter lakes, and mow down forests, the soil loses some of its natural ability to absorb water. Flooding isn’t all about the weather, it’s also determined by land use, infrastructure selection, and how much room we give water to move.
Judging by my web findings, Canadian flood damage costs are estimated at $2-5 billion per year. Storms and flooding are a huge cost centre in terms of insured losses in our country.
Since 2021, reports are that insurance premiums have skyrocketed by 31 per cent. Flood water issues are now a significant factor influencing insurance markets, housing affordability, and overall financial risk. When our water systems fail, the financial consequences are obvious. Increased flooding leads to higher insurance payouts and less availability of coverage. Soaring insurance costs make homeownership more burdensome and elevate mortgage risks.
Infrastructure failures result in increased municipal debt, putting extra pressure on taxpayers. Frequent flooding can also make real estate values and assets unpredictable. It’s not just that flooding brings high costs; it creates compounding risks across our markets, systems, and households, which should give us all a reason to be alarmed.
We see that flooding is becoming more frequent and more severe. While heavier storms are part of the story, what we as policymakers choose to do with the land is another. Every acre of land that is paved over is one less to absorb rainfall, which results in more water rushing into our creeks, rivers and our neighbourhoods. Productive farmland is a sponge that slows runoff and helps reduce pressure on our drainage systems.
Stories of recent flooding should prove that as we debate growth and development, protecting our landscapes is not only about conservation but also about building communities more resilient to flooding and better equipped to handle the reality of extreme weather events.
Bobbi Ann Brady is the MPP for Haldimand-Norfolk