Flood zones: citizens left to their own devices, thunder mayors

The Legault government is conspicuous by its absence on the ground to explain the consequences of its new regulations governing flood management. Mayors deplore persistent uncertainty for many citizens, in particular caused by a deficient communication strategy and the long delays before the unveiling of new flood zones.

The issue is no longer really new.

After the historic floods of 2017 and 2019, Quebec gave itself the mandate to review its ways of doing things to better protect the territory and neighboring communities from flooding.

More than three years ago, the Legault government announced a major change in philosophy and a regulatory modification governing flood zones. With this reform, the province committed to producing new maps to more clearly assess the risk of flooding, specifying not only the frequency, but also the magnitude and severity in a context of climate change.

This modernization will necessarily have consequences, while Quebec wishes as much as possible to remove populations from flood zones, in addition to prohibiting construction or reconstruction in vulnerable sectors.

The regulatory framework was finally presented last June, but not the cards that will be subject to it. Local property owners have since become concerned about the value of their property, their ability to insure themselves, receive compensation or take out a mortgage loan.

A stone in the pond

Under pressure, the Montreal Metropolitan Community (CMM) was tired of waiting.

A month ago, the organization representing 82 municipalities and 48% of the population of Quebec decided to throw a spanner in the works by unveiling a preliminary map of flood zones. After the floods of 2017, 2019 and 2023, she knew many people would be affected and demand answers.

Legally, the production of the maps was centralized at the Ministry of the Environment, a decision taken by the Legault government in 2022.

But the CMMin full consultation with the population on the new regulations proposed by the province, decided to play fair and reveal its data.

For our team, this is an almost democratic question. When we consult on a draft regulation, we must know who the people are concerned, we must tell them that they appear in the flood zonesays Nicolas Milot, director of ecological transition and innovation at the CMM. We knew there would be a significant increase.

From the start of the fall school year, our elected officials told us that the information had to become public so that the people affected could know it and be informed.

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Not yet knowing their fate, many citizens knock on the doors of cities and towns. MRC to get answers. There are very worried citizenshe attests.

However, cities and MRCs themselves have concerns and questions. The addition of new flood zones and the inability to develop certain residential sectors, the obligation to move entire neighborhoods or even to build protection structures are all factors to consider for the future.

Quebec absent

The CMM has already conducted several meetings with citizens to inform them of the potential impacts as part of the consultation on the new provincial regulation. Without maps, the discussion would not have had the same value, according to Nicolas Milot.

The latter also praises the presence of representatives from the insurance and mortgage sectors among the population. However, he deplores the absence of Quebec. We would have liked the government of Quebec to be with us in front of the citizens. This is not the case yet.

According to Mr. Milot, citizens should have be put in the mix much sooner.

By not having taken advantage of the public consultation to come and explain the objectives of the regulation, the choices that were made, we think that we missed an opportunity to do useful work.

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The uncertainty surrounding these issues has pushed 26 mayors of the greater Montreal region to question the Minister of the Environment, Benoit Charette.

In an open letter published Monday, they urge Quebec to define the main parameters in terms of relocation, compensation, repurchase of properties, support for resilient renovation and implementation of resilience and protection works.

If they welcome a reform necessarymunicipal elected officials are calling for clarity, financial assistance programs and predictability.

Unanswered channels

On the Capitale-Nationale side, the Metropolitan Community of Quebec (CMQ) made a different choice and did not reveal preliminary flood zone maps.

Nothing prevents [la CMM] for having done it. They used the model they have, they included the criteria that the government made public and showed citizens what it would look like on their territory.explains Antoine Verville, director of regional planning at the CMQ. We are not ready and we do not have the same will.

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The CMQ didn’t feel the same urgency either.

Mr. Verville suggests that the impacts in Quebec will not be as major as in Montreal. The number of new buildings in flood zones not going to doublehe says. We know our territory quite well.

There will be additions and changes to the current maps, but to a lesser extent. We do not anticipate areas of 4,000 houses which will become flood zones.

The fact remains that each case is unique and requires a certain sensitivity, according to Mr. Verville. On this subject, he shares the observation of the CMM and Montreal elected officials: the provincial government does not offer adequate support to citizens. There is a lack of a communication strategy on this social transition that we are going to experiencehe said, echoing a brief presented by the CMQ at the beginning of October.

We need a dialogue with the population because the questions are major.

The majority of questions asked by citizens cannot currently be answered, deplores Mr. Verville. We would like services by region to be deployedhe suggests, in order to support the municipal level.

Severe, he denounces the absence of resources made available to municipalities trying to respond to the concerns of the population. The answers are not given by the government at present. […] For the next steps, how do we respond to citizens?

For now, we fall into unanswered channels.