‘We must take action’: Ontario storm spurs calls to better equip cities for extreme weather

As Toronto recovers from a historic storm that the insurance bureau estimates likely caused more than $1 billion of damage, the Ontario Green Party leader is calling for a shift at the provincial level.

On Tuesday, Toronto and the surrounding area were bombarded by a historic rainstorm that lashed near-record water levels upon the city.

The Don Valley Parkway and Lake Shore Boulevard were closed. Union Station flooded and hundreds of thousands were left without power.

Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said the storm, which saw the fifth rainiest day on record at Toronto Pearson airport record, was a sign of things to come.

“This is what the science is telling us is going to happen more often, this is what the government’s own climate impact assessment is telling us,” Schreiner told Global News.

2:13 Toronto to review its flood response this week

A previous request from Schreiner to the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario (FAO) prompted reports that found city infrastructure across the province was ill-equipped to handle the impacts of increasingly severe weather.

The FAO found that more intense summer heat and fewer freeze-thaw cycles will put more pressure on roads, bridges, buildings and pipes.

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“We know from the Financial Accountability Officers report that just this decade alone, we’re going to have to spend an additional $26 billion to make sure our infrastructure is climate-ready,” Schreiner said. “And the government right now doesn’t have a plan.”

The report said acting now, instead of dealing with the aftermath, would save Ontario money.

In a situation where the province does not begin to proactively plan and build for the extreme weather events likely to become more common with climate change, the watchdog estimates infrastructure could cost an extra $4.1 billion per year.

Proactive planning and adaptation, however, could save more than a billion dollars and leave the annual costs of climate change on infrastructure closer to $3 billion, the report said.

2:43 Toronto floods: City infrastructure ‘not designed’ to handle such high volumes of water, officials warn

Schreiner said Tuesday’s storm is “exactly” why he asked the FAO to look at the state of infrastructure in the age of climate change in the first place.

The Green MPP said it was incumbent upon the the provincial government to offer more money to local governments so they can ensure their stormwater systems, roads and other infrastructure are resilient.

“Our property tax base simply can’t afford to have our infrastructure climate-ready — it’s not just the City of Toronto, it’s communities across Ontario,” he said.

He suggested bringing back the annual $120 licence plate renewal fee, which the province cut in 2022. It brought in an estimated $1.1 billion per year.

Both Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow and Prime Justin Trudeau echoed the call to look at ways to make city infrastructure more resilient.

“Weather events like this are going to occur more frequently because of climate change, and we must take action to build the resiliency of our city, and work to mitigate the impacts of these storms,” Chow said this week.

Trudeau made similar comments while visiting Toronto and predicted communities should expect “more extreme weather events” due to climate change, urging investment “in resilient infrastructure that can handle what the future is holding.”

The mayor, however, was also quick to praise the Ford government for the funds it had already sent to the city.

A spokesperson for the provincial government told Global News it is “already taking steps” to prepare communities across Ontario for the impacts of climate change.

“Ontario is currently implementing a range of flood management, green infrastructure, and emergency management initiatives to better protect people, communities, and infrastructure so that Ontario can remain resilient in the face of increasingly severe weather events,” they said in a statement.