By Naomi Christensen
In the Saskatoon Star Phoenix
May 28, 2015
Floods usually become political after they happen. Not in Prince Albert, where floods have become a major political issue without any water escaping the North Saskatchewan River.
Politicians, however, should think twice before turning this issue into a political football.
The controversy is rooted in the city’s proposed revision of its Official Community Plan, which ran into a council resistance this week. OCP’s are long-term plans that must adhere to provincial land-use policies. So Prince Albert’s proposed plan incorporates the 1:500 year flood evaluation standard the province put in place in the 1970s.
The city has been using the old 1:100 standard, which requires residents to prepare for the most severe flood likely to occur within a 100-year period. Adopting the tougher provincial standard, however, is the wise move.
Flood policy in Western Canada has historically consisted mainly of emergency response. Flood policy – the planning geared to planning for, or averting the effects of, anticipated future floods – should be in place well in advance of a flood. Only then will the policies have a chance of curtailing damages on a large scale.
Recent examples point to how disastrous it can be when this is not the case.
In 2013, floods ravaged the southern part of Alberta, damaging 14,500 homes and 200 bridges, and closing 30 provincial roads. Total damage is estimated around $6 billion, making the flood the most disastrous in the province’s history.
In Calgary, about half of the public infrastructure repair projects necessitated by the flood damage have been completed. About 28 per cent of projects remain under construction, and 20 per cent are in planning stages. It was only following this “flood of all floods” that Calgary implemented a flood mitigation program and launched a review of land use bylaws; the Government of Alberta amended legislation to restrict future development on provincial floodways.
Provinces and municipalities across Western Canada should take note of the lesson southern Alberta learned the hard way, and plan ahead.
Prior to the 1980s, Saskatchewan was far more susceptible to drought than floods. Not any more. In the past 15 years, only 2008 and 2009 have been substantially flood-free in major parts of the province. Last spring, three million acres – about eight per cent – of Saskatchewan’s cropland was flooded, and more than 50 municipalities declared local states of emergency as a result of flooding.
There is understandable concern in P.A. that the stricter 1:500 standard will affect some property values. There will be new restrictions on development in areas with a high risk of flooding, which may drive down resale prices. However, limiting construction in these areas before a major disaster occurs should reduce damage and therefore reduce the private and public cost of remediation.
When floods occur, disaster recovery funding from all levels of government kicks in to ensure home and business owners will avoid financial ruin. Taxpayers should question whether re-development should be allowed in areas that have been destroyed by floods and, if so, whether the public should be on the hook for another round of compensation when the next flood occurs.
The same questions apply to whether new development should be allowed in areas known to be at risk of future flooding.
If the North Saskatchewan River flooded today, Prince Albert would not hesitate to ask the federal and provincial governments to provide compensation for damage. But municipalities also have an obligation to do what they can in advance to mitigate future flood damage.
The province requires municipalities to adhere to a 1:500 flood evaluation. This presents an opportunity for Prince Albert to plan ahead and ensure future development occurs where flooding is unlikely, and that appropriate mitigation measures are put in place to lessen the damage when the North Saskatchewan overflows.
Naomi Christensen is a policy analyst with the Canada West Foundation