Blueprints for Action: Minimizing Homeowner Flood Risk in the GTHA 

For many Torontonians in general, 2017 could be called “the year of the flood.” Higher amounts of rainfall during the spring caused Lake Ontario to swell by 55 centimeters, submerging not only parts of the Toronto Islands, but also affecting regional shorelines and even seeping into lakeside condo parking garages. But this isn’t necessarily a new phenomenon. Four years prior, Toronto was witness to dramatic flooding brought on by a powerful summer storm that overwhelmed local sewer infrastructure and flooded homes and basements. This accounted for $1 billion in insured property damage and allocated loss adjustment expenses. Combined with flooding in Alberta that same year, affected homeowners faced a $40,000 repair bill on average. A year later, Burlington, Ont., saw the same—flooded roads, flooded homes, distraught residents.

On April 3, 2017, CivicAction convened a multisector forum to get closer to understanding how homeowners can be better motivated to take action against basement flooding.