Displaying items by tag: Flooding

December 2, 2019 – Local Conservation Authorities are pleased with the findings of the independent review of the Spring 2019 flood. Retained by the Ontario Government, Special Advisor on Flooding Douglas NcNeil recognizes Ontario’s unique watershed-based Conservation Authority model and its success in minimizing flood risks and mitigating flood impacts.

Ottawa area Conservation Authorities (Mississippi, Rideau and South Nation) met with Mr. McNeil and other agencies in September to review the spring flood and discuss local experiences. Ideas were shared on how to improve protection of Ontario residents and their properties from flooding. The McNeil report contains 66 actions, and the three Conservation Authorities are pleased to see recommendations raised during those consultations in the report, including the need to:

• Update provincial guidance,
• Increase attention to floodplain mapping and the impacts of climate change,
• Conserve and restore green infrastructure like wetlands and forests that store water and reduce flooding, and
• Continue support for the role of Conservation Authorities in coordinating planning
  and action.

Specifically, the report, available at ontario.ca/floodreport, encourages the Province to “consult with Conservation Authorities on their application of the natural hazards-based approach and the risk-based approach to managing flooding.”

Flood management is a shared responsibility among municipalities, emergency management officials, the Province, and Conservation Authorities. Authorities work closely with member municipalities to identify flood risk areas and to guide development activities outside of floodplains. The watershed-based approach has protected Ontarians for decades and has avoided millions in flood damages.

This approach has also built resilient communities that not only have flood control infrastructure but also important “green infrastructure” that reduces the impacts of climate change and flooding.

Local Conservation Authorities look forward to maintaining and improving flood management programs and are eager to assist the Province in implementing all of the recommendations outlined in the Flood Advisor’s report.

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For more information:

Sally McIntyre, General Manager                             
Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority                
613-253-0006 ext. 223                                              
                                              

Sommer Casgrain-Robertson, General Manager
Rideau Valley Conservation Authority
613-692-3571 ext. 1214

Angela Coleman, General Manager
South Nation Conservation
613-984-2948

March 12, 2020 — With the spring thaw top of mind for residents who were affected by significant flooding along the Ottawa River in 2019, the Mississippi Valley, Rideau Valley and South Nation Conservation Authorities welcome the coordinated approach that Ontario proposes to build between federal and provincial governments, local municipalities, Conservation Authorities and indigenous partners to protect people and property from the devastating and costly impacts of flooding.

On March 9, 2020, John Yakabuski, the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, released Ontario’s Flooding Strategy in response to the Flood Advisor’s 2019 Report, clearly indicating that Conservation Authorities will have a continued role to play in the shared responsibility on strengthening the approach to flooding.

According to Minister Yakabuski in a news release published by the Province on March 9: "We're listening to people from across the province who have been affected by flooding, and that is why we're taking a whole-of-government approach and calling on the federal government, our municipal partners, conservation authorities, industry and Indigenous communities to work with us to implement the actions contained in this strategy." 

The Strategy focuses on five priority areas: 

• Understanding Flood Riskthrough updated floodplain mapping and increasing access to flood-related information.
• Strengthening Governance through provincial policy to ensure local development is directed away from areas where flooding and erosion present unacceptable risks.
• Enhancing Flood Preparednessusingstate-of-the art science and technology. 
• Enhancing Response and Recoveryby improving how we receive and respond to municipal requests for assistance.
• Investing in Flood Risk Reductionby working with the federal government to increase investment in critical areas like mapping and infrastructure.

Ontario’s Flooding Strategy also calls for the update of existing natural hazard technical guidelines used to support municipal and Conservation Authority implementation of flood programs and activities, which was a key request throughout consultations.

“We are pleased to be working with the Province and sharing our flood management expertise and watershed approach to deliver services and programs,” said Sally McIntyre, General Manager, Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority. “We look forward to learning how the Strategy will support sustainable funding for flood forecasting and operations, flood proofing of existing structures and stewardship of wetlands to mitigate flooding.”

“We look forward to enhancing our long-standing partnership with the province,” said Sommer Casgrain-Robertson, General Manager, Rideau Valley Conservation Authority. “Local Conservation Authorities are well-positioned to support the province’s strategy and we will look to better serve our watershed municipalities and residents through our unique watershed approach and our extensive expertise and experience in flood risk management, mitigation
and preparedness.”

“We thank the Provincial Government for highlighting the important role that Conservation Authorities play in understanding flood risk and mitigation within the Ontario Flooding Strategy,” said Angela Coleman, General Manager and Secretary Treasurer, South Nation Conservation. “We look forward to working with all levels of Government to better protect people and property from natural hazards, such as flooding.”

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RVCA Responds to Province’s More Homes Built Faster Act

RIDEAU VALLEY, Nov. 10, 2022 – Taxpayers, municipalities and our natural systems will bear the costs of the Province’s affordable housing legislation released last month.

While the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority strongly supports efforts to address the ongoing housing crisis, many of the proposed changes related to conservation authorities will have significant impacts and costs while doing little to increase housing supply. 

“Improvements to the system must never be at the expense of protecting people and their properties from flooding, erosion and slope failures, or protecting the very features that reduce these risks such as wetlands,” said Sommer Casgrain-Robertson, General Manager of the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority.

Proposed changes and their impacts:

• Weakening the regulatory ability of CAs to protect people and property from natural hazards like flooding, erosion and slope failures - leading to greater risk of property damage and public safety.
• Eliminating the CA’s ability to address water quality issues through planning and permitting, leading to increased nutrients and sediment in lakes and rivers. We know from the 1990s this causes excessive weed growth and algae blooms that have economic impacts on property values, agriculture, tourism, recreation, fisheries and sources of drinking water for many residents.
• Reducing wetland evaluations and protections, leading to increased flooding, erosion and drought, as well as diminished groundwater, which is the source of drinking water in much of rural Ontario. Studies have shown the loss of wetlands in the Rideau watershed would increase flood levels by 10%.
• Downloading more responsibilities to municipalities who have indicated will lead to inefficiencies, delays and increased risk and costs.
• Freezing development fees, which will pass development costs to taxpayers instead of growth paying for growth. 

“We are calling on the Provincial Government to reconvene their multi-stakeholder Conservation Authorities Working Group to consider the impacts of these proposed changes,” said Casgrain-Robertson, who is a sitting member of the working group. “The working group has proven it can provide effective recommendations to government that increase housing supply without jeopardizing public safety, dismissing natural systems or downloading additional responsibilities to municipalities.” 

The Ontario Association of Municipalities (AMO) shared similar concerns, stating “many of the proposed amendments to the Conservation Authorities Act and the Planning Act in Bill 23 are concerning, as they signal a move away from environmental protection at a time when climate change impacts are being felt more at the local level. Bill 23 proposes sweeping changes to the regulatory responsibilities of Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities that, if passed, will undermine the collaborative and productive changes put forward by the Ministry led Conservation Authority Working Group over the past two years”.

It is well understood that water flows across municipal boundaries – and so do the impacts of development. That’s why over the past 70 years, municipalities have formed 36 CAs across Ontario to assess and understand the cumulative impact of development within each watershed. At a time when climate change is causing more frequent and intense storm events, the role of CAs has never been more critical.

“CAs have proven they are not a barrier to development, but rather facilitate sound and reasonable growth,” said Pieter Leenhouts, Chair of the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority. “They have been modernizing their policies and procedures, streamlining approvals, reducing timelines, meeting and reporting on service standards and promoting pre-consultation with applicants to provide the best service possible to municipalities, communities, residents and developers.”

Not a barrier:

• The Province’s “Housing Affordability Task Force Report” introduced 55 recommendations to increase the housing supply in Ontario, and CAs were not named within the report. 
• CAs save municipalities and developers time and money, as the cost-efficient CA system allows member municipalities to share the expertise of CA hydrogeologists, biologists and engineering staff to review planning applications instead of each hiring their own – a huge savings for taxpayers. 
• CAs also save the Province and taxpayers money by reducing the financial impacts of severe flooding like Eastern Ontario experienced in 2017 and 2019. The province’s own Special Advisor on Flooding, Doug McNeil, in his 2019 report found that Ontario’s unique CA system remains the fundamental reason why Ontario has not seen the same catastrophic flooding impacts in the billions of dollars as Alberta and BC, which do not have CAs to direct development away from high-risk areas.

“CAs are recognized as a cost-efficient, collaborative partner,” said Casgrain-Robertson. “We are committed to helping Ontario meet its housing goals by ensuring safe and sustainable development that balances the needs of people and the environment, the economy, and local ecology.”

For more information about the RVCA and CA roles and responsibilities, visit www.rvca.ca.

To learn more, or to provide input on the proposed changes, visit the Environmental Registry of Ontario for these Notices:

• Proposed updates to the regulation of development for the protection of people and property from natural hazards in Ontario (ERO number 019-2927)
• Legislative and regulatory proposals affecting conservation authorities to support the Housing Supply Action Plan 3.0 (ERO number 019-6141)

ERO 019-2927 also includes a Consultation Guide on how to provide your input.

To read Bill 23, visit the Ontario Legislative Assembly at this web page at Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022

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RIDEAU VALLEY, Nov. 17, 2022 – More than 30 Eastern Ontario mayors have endorsed a Conservation Authority letter to the province expressing concerns with provincial Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act.

The letter, written by 10 Eastern Ontario CAs, was sent to Premier Doug Ford and relevant cabinet ministers earlier today. 

“We are overwhelmed and incredibly grateful for the support we have received from local municipalities,” said Sommer Casgrain-Robertson, General Manager of the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority. “It was disheartening that this bill only had a 30-day consultation period given the magnitude of the proposed changes and that this short consultation period fell during the turnover of municipal councils.” 

In their letter, the Eastern Ontario CAs outline six key concerns with the bill and how the changes will negatively impact local development review processes, download new responsibilities to municipalities, increase costs to taxpayers, increase the risk of flooding, erosion and slope failure and damage the local environment. 

But the CAs also provide recommendations to the province of how to improve Bill 23 and call for meaningful consultation with CAs, municipalities, and the development and agricultural sectors to identify real solutions that will increase housing without having unintended and irreversible consequences. 

It is well understood that water flows across municipal boundaries – and so do the impacts of development. That’s why over the past 70 years, municipalities have formed 36 CAs across Ontario to assess and understand the cumulative impact of development within each watershed. At a time when climate change is causing more frequent and intense storm events, the role of CAs has never been more critical.

Learn more:

• Eastern Ontario Conservation Authority Joint Letter to Premier Ford, Minister Clark, Minister Smith and Minister Piccini (PDF)
• RVCA Responds to Province’s More Homes Built Faster Act

Provide input on the proposed changes through the Environmental Registry of Ontario:

• Proposed updates to the regulation of development for the protection of people and property from natural hazards in Ontario (ERO number 019-2927)
• Legislative and regulatory proposals affecting conservation authorities to support the Housing Supply Action Plan 3.0 (ERO number 019-6141)

Consider sending our sample letter to your local MPP:

• Sample letter regarding Bill 23 impacts to Conservation Authorities (Word Document)

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