CBC News - Is Canada prepared for floods like the one that happened in Texas?
“We need to be taking into consideration the the changing and evolving nature of our environment due to climate change.”
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A recent CBC News article raises important questions about Canada’s readiness for increasingly intense flood events, especially as climate change amplifies the frequency of extreme rainfall across the country. Experts emphasize that while Canada has made significant progress in identifying strategies to reduce flood risk, implementation gaps remain — particularly when it comes to updating flood-risk maps and deploying coordinated early warning systems.
Kathryn Bakos of the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation notes that Canada is well-positioned from a research and knowledge standpoint. However, many recommendations to reduce flood vulnerability at the home, community, and municipal levels have yet to be widely applied. Outdated floodplain maps — often 20 to 25 years old — limit decision-making and delay proactive risk reduction, especially as urban development and climate dynamics evolve.
Examples from previous flood events, such as those in Calgary, Toronto, and Halifax, illustrate the strain that extreme precipitation can place on aging infrastructure. In Sackville, N.S., updated floodplain maps that incorporate climate projections were only recently introduced after years of local advocacy, underscoring the importance of timely and regionally tailored data.
Positive momentum is building: the federal government has announced new investments in flood mapping and climate adaptation, and more communities are exploring nature-based solutions such as wetlands, permeable surfaces, and green space integration alongside traditional infrastructure to manage excess water.
As Canada continues to adapt to shifting climate conditions, national-scale data and modelling products like those being developed under the Canada1Water (C1W) project are essential. C1W provides two aspects to understand water security, data support for model development and integrated (groundwater–surface water) hydrological model results to support improved planning, flood forecasting, and infrastructure design. With more communities seeking science-backed guidance, platforms like C1W play a vital role in strengthening resilience and supporting long-term water security across the country.