This article was previously published in La Presse.

The new year is the perfect time to reflect on how things are done. Our wish for 2025 is that Quebec will not bow to political pressure, but instead implement the best possible policies to prevent costly floods. Climate change will only make flooding more frequent and intense, and so the benefits of strong measures far outweigh the costs.

According to a study published in Nature, Québec saw a 66% rise in the number of buildings located in high-risk and very high-risk flood zones from 1985 to 2015. One has to wonder whether Quebec could have avoided the considerable damage caused by the devastating flooding in Charlevoix in 2023, in Gatineau and Beauce in 2019, and by other similar disasters if it had not authorized construction in high-risk zones for so long.

The Quebec government has reviewed and published draft versions of new flood maps and new regulation on construction in flood risk zones. It has been met with grumbling from some municipalities, real estate developers and property owners who fear dropping property values and skyrocketing insurance and mortgages. However, Quebec’s proposals benefit not only Quebecers’ safety, but also their wallets. 

Forthcoming research from the Climate Institute estimates potential annual losses at between $70 million and $210 million if the status quo goes unchecked. 

Mayors in the greater Montréal area have spoken out about their constituents’ worries about decreasing property values in newly deemed flood risk zones. A Quebec study estimated a 4% decrease in home values in flood zones compared to those outside flood zones. A flooded home, however, drops in value by 8% to 25% after a disaster. Homes in very high-risk zones are likely to suffer several hundred thousand dollars’ worth of damages in the next 25 years. Most of them are already ineligible for flood insurance, and thus depend on governmental financial assistance. This means that ultimately, all Canadians are footing the bill. 

Updated and accessible maps cannot be reasonably said to have a major impact on property owners’ ability to access insurance or mortgages, given that insurers and financial institutions already have and use maps purchased from flood experts. Instead, these maps primarily provide the broader public with greater transparency, and give provincial and local governments more information for choosing where to implement risk mitigation measures such as building dikes.

Only a small percentage of homes are located in the new flood zones. To limit impact, we could invest in protective infrastructure or provide financial support for making buildings more flood-resistant. If these options prove ineffective or too costly, the government might consider compensating property owners for moving to safer areas.

Everyone in Quebec profits from the government moving forward with new policies on residences in flood risk zones in 2025. Accurate, accessible maps and robust policies will lead to considerable savings for the province, at a time when climate change is causing catastrophic flooding to become the norm.