Public Safety Canada (PS) has the mandate to keep Canadians safe from a range of risks and is working towards several soon-to-be launched flood resilience policy programs that advance components of an Integrated Flood Risk Management Strategy. The objective of this integrated approach is to strengthen coordination and complementarity of these programs, including: developing a Federally Identified Flood Risk data layer and program to guide federal investments in Canada; sharing flood hazard information and risk reduction strategies to Canadians through a Flood Risk Awareness Digital Resource; supporting modernization of the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements; working towards a national Flood Insurance Program; and supporting other federal partners with flood risk reduction efforts, including the Bank of Canada and the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. PS bridges policy work to data science and engineering practices by conducting quantitative risk analysis, using Canada-wide flood hazard models, exposure data, and damage estimation methodologies. Since 2020, PS has completed extensive testing of Canada-wide flood hazard models, including quality control and evaluation to support robust risk analysis for all of Canada. This presentation will outline PS’s past, current and future progress on addressing components of the Integrated Flood Risk Management approach, with a particular focus on developments in quantitative flood risk analysis and how the updated Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements program intends to leverage flood risk data to support more resilient reconstruction and strategic mitigation following a disaster. This presentation will provide an overview on the status of Canada-wide flood hazard models at PS, identify how the information can be used at the local levels and its implications for disaster recovery, and share results of Canada-wide flood risk trends.
