01 -44 RENEW MAY-JUNE25 PT - Flipbook - Page 28
RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE
Municipal flood and wildfire preparedness
An exponential increase in the cost of insurable claims
should send a clear signal to municipalities across Canada
that they must act, rapidly, to limit the growing risk of 昀氀ood
and wild昀椀re.
In municipalities across Canada, 1.5 million homeowners
are no longer able to obtain insurance coverage for basement 昀氀ooding. In high-risk 昀氀ood zones in Quebec, Desjardins Group announced that it will not renew mortgages
for houses with a greater than 昀椀ve per cent chance of being
昀氀ooded each year.
In California, in 2023, Allstate and State Farm stopped
writing new residential 昀椀re insurance due to excessive risk
of wild昀椀res. California should serve as a wake-up call to implement wild昀椀re protection in forested communities across
Canada.
Canadian municipalities—most of which still address
昀氀ood and wild昀椀re risk through “reaction” rather than
“pro-action”—must embrace adaptation.
ECCC, working with agencies such as the Federation
of Canadian Municipalities, Insurance Bureau of Canada,
Canadian Standards Association, Standards Council of Canada, and National Research Council, collectively have the
pulpit to promote community 昀氀ood and wild昀椀re protection
nationally. A solid commitment by these agencies could
break Canada’s cycle of false starts on adaptation and make
the NAS commitment on municipal 昀氀ood and wild昀椀re
protection a success.
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RENEW CANADA – MAY/JUNE 2025
THREE LEVELS OF A
FLOOD-READY COMMUNITY
Level 1: Residential and Commercial Buildings
Critical supplies
on-site
Back-up power
generation
Subsidize
3/10
Flood barrier
Elevator
water
sensors
Backwater Elevate
valves
equipment
1
2
3
4
5
Provide user-friendly flood risk
maps and scores to help
homeowners and renters
understand risk.
Provide infographics to help
homeowners and renters
reduce their flood risk.
Subsidize home flood protection
measures (e.g., backwater valves,
sump pumps, downspout
disconnections).
Engage commercial
real-estate property
owners in flood resilience.
Mandate flood resilience
measures for new homes,
apartments and condos.
Level 2: Community-Based Flood Risk Management
No climate
change
Climate
change
Municipal Flood Risk Check-Up
EMERGENCY
LIGHT
$
Download Check-Up
EMERGENCY
PLAN
1
2
3
1
2
3
4
5
Conduct an annual flood risk
check-up to assess and prepare
for heavy rainfall, river, and
coastal flooding.
Assess how climate change is
impacting intense rainfall, river
and coastal flood hazards.
Identify critical infrastructure
vulnerabilities (e.g., for water,
transport, electricity supply) and
implement risk reduction actions.
Determine where socioeconomically vulnerable people
may require additional
adaptation support (e.g.,
financial assistance).
Implement and regularly update
flood warning and communication
systems, and emergency
response plans (e.g., engage
practice drills).
Level 3: Watershed and Shoreline Management
Watershed
boundary
MOVING
1
2
3
4
5
Assess wider influences on river
and coastal flood risk to identify
solutions that may be located
outside of the community.
Engage with other communities
and watershed planning
organizations to develop
strategic flood solutions.
Manage or restore existing
natural assets to provide flood
risk protection.
Do not develop on current and
future river and coastal
floodplains.
Work with property owners
and encourage them to
consider moving away from
high-risk areas.
For more detailed guidance download the Municipal Flood Risk Check-Up and complete it once a year to identify progress and priorities.
Scan the code or click
the link for additional
resources at
www.intactcentre.ca
THREE FEATURES OF A
WILDFIRE-READY COMMUNITY
Communities can integrate wildfire-ready features into their risk management plans to limit damage and disruption due to wildfire events and strengthen
emergency preparedness. By working with Provincial/Territorial wildfire agencies and municipal/structural fire departments, communities can access
available tools, training, and resources to help them assess their unique risks, and create customized action plans.
Feature 1: Wildfire-Ready Structures & Infrastructure
5m
10 m
5m
10 m
2m
1
2
3
4
Complete regular maintenance of
structures, infrastructure, and landscaping
within 10 m to limit accumulation of
flammable materials (e.g., leaves, brush
piles, stored items, fuel tanks).
Install/replace landscaping with fire
resistant materials within 10 m of
structures and infrastructure.
Build/update structures and
infrastructure using fire resistant
building materials (e.g., Class A
roofing/metal roofs, non-combustible
siding, metal, or concrete hydro poles).
Design/update structures and
infrastructure to be ignition resistant
(e.g., 5 m distance between vegetation
and power lines, power supply lines below
ground where feasible).
Feature 2: Wildfire-Ready Community Design
30 m
10 m
1
2
3
4
Integrate minimum 30 m wide zones (fire
breaks) featuring ignition resistant materials
(e.g., mowed grasses, ponds, roads) into
community design to limit the spread of fire.
Increase minimum to 50 m on steep slopes.
Provide greater spatial separation
between structures in hazard areas to
limit the spread of fire from one structure
to another.
Require minimum 10 m setback from
the crest of a hill to limit spread of
fire to structures.
Restrict development in hazard areas
where mitigation measures cannot meet
minimum standards for health, safety,
and environmental protection.
Feature 3: Wildfire-Ready Emergency Response
EMERGENCY
SHELTER
EMERGENCY
SHELTER
1
2
3
4
Complete annual emergency planning
and cross-training exercises that include
multiple agencies (e.g., wildland and
structural firefighters).
Designate at least one emergency
shelter per community.
Ensure minimum water supply
for firefighting.
Provide two or more suitably
sized access and egress routes
to accommodate the movement
of emergency vehicles.
Note: The guidance in this document is voluntary. Completion of actions should not conflict with
applicable building and fire codes. Wildfire-ready communities can reduce but not eliminate risk.
Scan the code or click the link
for additional resources at
www.intactcentre.ca
RENEWCANADA.NET
INTACT CENTRE ON CLIMATE ADAPTATION
three levels: (1) Wild昀椀re-Ready Structures & Infrastructure,
(2) Wild昀椀re-Ready Community Design, and (3) Wild昀椀re-Ready Emergency Response. The infographic summarizes wild昀椀re protection described in Wild昀椀re Ready: Practical
Guidance to Strengthen the Resilience of Canadian Homes and
Communities, and applies to communities in forested and
grassland regions (sometimes referred to as the Wildland
Urban Interface (WUI)).
Row 1 presents guidance that municipalities can share
with homeowners to limit 昀椀re risk, including such basics as
not storing 昀椀rewood and propane tanks within 10 metres of
the house. Homeowners should replace wooden fences, if
they attach to the house, with non-combustible chain link.
When building new, as outlined in Row 2, permitting
should require adequate separation of homes to limit the
spread of 昀椀re from one structure to another. Municipal permitting should require a 10-metre setback of the house from
the crest of a hill in the WUI, as wild昀椀re generally travels
up-slope.
The third level of preparedness focuses on ensuring
communities can handle high volume resource demands
during peak wild昀椀res. For example, communities should
ensure that emergency shelters have adequate space and
resources to accommodate large numbers of displaced
people. Communities must ensure that water pressure from
hydrants remains su昀케cient to 昀椀ght 昀椀re when entire streets
or communities are under threat. Municipalities also need
to prioritize that multiple egress routes are available when
the capacity to contain 昀椀res is breached.
Municipalities that follow FireSmart direction can reduce
their exposure to wild昀椀re risk by up to 75 per cent.
