A few days after the Montreal Metropolitan Community (CMM) tabled its preliminary flood zone maps, Vaudreuil-Dorion mayor Guy Pilon was still adamant. “Let the municipalities take their responsibilities”.

On Monday, the CMM tabled its memoir as part of the public consultations on the proposed modernization of the regulatory framework for water environments. According to the document, if no changes are made to the regulations tabled last June by the Ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs, no fewer than 1207 buildings would be located in flood-prone zones, in Vaudreuil-Dorion alone. 

“In Vaudreuil-Dorion, this represents 2,085 homes. That's a 700% increase in the number of homes in flood-prone areas, whether low-risk or very high-risk,” Mayor Pilon told Néomédia. 

For example, according to current mapping, the Cité-des-Jeunes campus on avenue Saint-Charles is in a very high-risk zone. A CHSLD, as well as a water filtration and purification plant, are located in the area, as are a number of seniors' residences. 

In its current form, the draft regulations proposed by Quebec could also jeopardize an affordable housing project in the rue Saint-Michel sector of Vaudreuil-Dorion, according to information shared by the mayor.

Needless to say, such an increase is not without financial consequences. “If we look at the municipal assessment, the city could lose nearly $2 billion in tax revenues,” Guy Pilon insists.

People first

Beyond the financial losses that the current version of the regulations will generate, the mayor of Vaudreuil-Dorion deplores the lack of humanism shown by the ministry.

“Imagine the panic among homeowners who have to renew their mortgage and don't know if they'll be able to? Those wondering if they're still insurable with their insurer? Homes already in flood zones are not even allowed to protect themselves. Homeowners can't do any work to insulate their floors. Quebec was built close to waterways because, at the time, they were the only means of transportation. Across the province, houses, institutions and factories can be found close to the water's edge. Now we're telling all these people, all these businesses, that they should leave? It's inhumane,” deplores the mayor.

Another legitimate question, according to the mayor, is the housing crisis. “If you eliminate thousands of doors, what do you do with the people? Where do we house them? We're moving the problem, and creating another huge one. It's a pressure we're putting on human beings.”

Guy Pilon also challenges the Minister of the Environment, Benoit Charette, to attend an information session in Vaudreuil-Dorion, so that he can hear citizens' grievances. 

“We're going to provide him with the biggest room possible so that he and his officials can come and meet us and explain his plan. If he has the courage to do that, I'll respect him a little more, and he'll understand the distress of people faced with the decisions of his officials,” stresses the mayor with all the verve we know about him. 

“That's extremely difficult. What's the government going to do? It's panicking about 200 houses, but now we're talking about 2,000 houses,” the mayor questions. “The government doesn't want to pay for flooding anymore, and I understand that. In this case, all they have to do is give the towns a say in the issuing of permits in high-risk areas. Let us do it. Let us work with our citizens,” he pleads. 

“Let the municipalities take responsibility”

Affected by the floods of 2017 and 2019 and, more recently, by the floods caused by the torrential rains of August 9, the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion, like several other affected municipalities, has developed a certain expertise in risk management. This is one of the arguments put forward by Mayor Pilon. 

“We know what we have to do. We have the equipment to do it. We know exactly what we have to do. For example, in 2017 and 2019, we had around 200 homes affected. With the August 9 rains, we're talking about 2,000. It's more serious with the rains than with the floods, because we can see the floods coming.  With geomatics, we know how high the water will rise and which areas will be affected. We have time to prepare. Let us put measures in place to protect our homes. There is a way to do something,” added the mayor.

On August 9, the Vaudreuil-Dorion filtration plant recorded no less than 217 millimetres of water in a very short space of time. In less than 48 hours, 2,000 homes were flooded. 

“This is extremely difficult. What's the government going to do? They're panicking about 200 homes, but now we're talking about 2,000 homes,” questions the mayor. “The government doesn't want to pay for flooding anymore, and I understand that. In this case, all they have to do is give the towns a say in the issuing of permits in high-risk areas. Let us do it. Let us work with our citizens,” he pleads. 

Solutions?

For Guy Pilon, it's clear that solutions exist, and that the expertise acquired by cities in recent years must be put to good use. 

“The government could tell cities that they have the right to issue permits if they want to. We'll do what we've been doing for a while now: we'll issue permits with conditions, such as waterproofing, construction on pilings, raising floor levels” .

Mr. Pilon also cites the example of the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec's (SAAQ) no-fault insurance plan.

“The government has done self-insurance with the SAAQ; the no-fault. The government could do that, create Flood Insurance, for example. People living in high-risk areas would have to pay, but at least they'd be protected. The money would be set aside by the government, and in the event of bad luck, the funds would be redistributed among the disaster victims. That way, people would at least have insurance, and the insurance companies would continue to insure the rest. There are solutions. Whether my solution is perfect, I don't know. But don't tell me that people who have no knowledge of our reality are going to find one for us. Let the municipalities take their responsibilities,” he concludes.