On Thursday, the Saskatchewan provincial government announced that they will be updating the flood standards plan, going from a one-in-500 year flood event to one in 200 years.
A one-in-200-year flood risk is a 0.5 per cent chance of flooding occurring in a given year. The province says this change comes after the federal government made changes to Canada’s disaster financial assistance arrangements program in April.
Since 2021, the Water Security Agency (WSA) and the federal government have donated more than $2.7 million for flood-mapping programs across Saskatchewan. As the new changes begin to take shape, the WSA says they are working with communities to help adapt to this change and begin to plan flood mapping.
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These changes will be beneficial to the province to help bring up property value and to plan safer ways to build new developments in desired spots near creeks, rivers and lakes.
In essence, the goal is to guide development away from high-risk flood areas, ensure new construction is flood-resistant, and help manage properties in flood-prone areas.
University of Saskatchewan Water Futures Programme Director John Pomeroy is questioning why the province would make this change during a time when the province has seen so many floods due to extreme weather. He added due to the flatlands, it is harder for the prairies to recover from floods.
Pomeroy also expressed his concerns about insurance and how much coverage certain flood-prone zones will see.
Watch the video above to find out more about the flood plan and what it means for Saskatchewan.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story referred to John Pomeroy as Director for the Global Institute of Water Security. While he works with the GIWS, he is not director. The article also stated Pomeroy was “unhappy” with the changes, which he has since clarified was not his sentiment.
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