By Trevor Greenway

Local Journalism Initiative

The head of the MRC des Collines regional government says that local municipalities in the Hills can’t “bury our heads in the sand” when looking at the threats of natural disasters in the wake of climate change. 

MRC des Collines Prefect Marc Carrière told the Low Down that his government, as well as municipalities in Gatineau, La Pêche, Pontiac, Cantley, L’Ange Guardian and others, are working together to map out five local rivers in terms of their floodplains. 

He said there is also concern for those who live near bodies of water – especially since Quebec’s Ministry of the Environment recently told the Low Down that it expects the “the surface area of floodplains would increase by approximately 40 per cent in the next-generation maps.” 

“We have had two major floods in 2017 and 2019, and you never know when this will happen again,” said Carrière. He noted that there was another massive storm in the Hills last summer, which flooded properties, damaged homes and washed out several roads in Hollow Glen in Chelsea. “With all this climate change, we have to be prepared. So, of course the MRC and the municipalities are worried, especially for the residents that will live in the next flooding zone.”

According to Craig Stewart, part-time Chelsea resident and the vice-president of Climate Change and Federal Issues with the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), about 10 per cent of homes in Canada are “uninsurable” for flooding, as they are built in the 100-year floodplain. Insurers won’t cover them because it is nearly a guarantee that they will flood within 20 years, he said.

Carrière said his government will need federal and provincial help. 

“People will have to adapt, but we can’t bury our heads in the sand and think it will never happen again,” added Carrière. “It will happen again.”

The federal government is working on a national partnership program with insurance companies to offer coverage for these “high-risk” homes. The problem is that the program is taking time to iron out, and with the new flood maps expected later this year, homeowners could find themselves in an expensive bind if they want certain flood coverage added as a premium. 

Despite the alarming assertion by one government source that flood zones would increase by 40 per cent in Quebec, local Carleton University researcher Gary Martin, who studies climate change adaptation and flood risk management, said that while flood risk is clearly increasing across Quebec, it remains to be seen how the province’s maps will differ from existing municipal flood maps. He said that municipalities and the MRCs know where the risky areas are, and have worked for decades to keep housing out of those risky areas.

“Whose climate modeling and flood mapping are they using? What’s their level of certainty? How far in the future are they planning? The feds are working on new, publicly accessible flood zone maps across Canada too. Whose map will you use?” Questioned Martin.  “That 40% figure concerns me. Will it cause people to panic?”

“This is all up in the air, and I don’t think people need to freak out just yet,” Martin continued.  “The feds and the provinces and municipalities understand the problem, and are all working through this to ensure that people don’t lose the equity in their homes.”Carrière said that the local MRCs are mapping out five rivers in the area: Gatineau, Quyon, Outaouais, Du Lièvre in Masson-Angers and Blanche in Perkins. He said the maps should be completed by the end of the year.