The federal government announced the completion of Canada’s Flood Risk Finder, the country’s first national, publicly available source of flood hazard and risk information.
Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada said the technical development of the platform is now complete. Provinces and territories may now opt in to allow local flood risk information to be searchable within the portal for residents in their jurisdictions.
The platform allows users to enter a home address and receive a flood risk rating on a four-point scale, ranging from low to extreme, according to a news release. The tool identifies four flood types – coastal, rainfall, riverine, and combinations of these – and is intended to complement existing local, provincial, and territorial flood maps.
The Government of Canada said it will work with provinces and territories over the summer to encourage participation. The rollout to residents in participating jurisdictions will be communicated publicly as provinces and territories opt in.
Flooding is the most common and costly natural hazard in Canada, causing average annual losses of more than $2 billion, according to Public Safety Canada. The government said reducing disaster risks through advance preparation costs less than responding and rebuilding after an event.
The Honourable Eleanor Olszewski, minister of emergency management and community resilience, said the platform was designed with broad public engagement in mind.
“Canada’s Flood Risk Finder has been designed to promote flood risk awareness and support conversations between communities, governments, stakeholders, leaders, and neighbours on how we can take action today to improve our resilience to the floods of tomorrow,” Olszewski said.
Rebecca Bligh, president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, welcomed the federal update while pointing to the need for high-quality data at the local level.
“Municipalities are the first to respond and the first to see the growing impacts of climate change every day, and we welcome the federal government’s update on Canada’s Flood Risk Finder to strengthen flood awareness and preparedness,” Bligh said. “As provinces and territories opt in, municipalities and Canadians will be looking for high-quality, transparent data that reflects local conditions and builds on the resilience measures municipalities already have underway.”
The platform was developed through a collaborative effort involving Public Safety Canada, Natural Resources Canada, and Statistics Canada. Funding was provided through the Flood Hazard Identification and Mapping Program.
