Feds fund UQAM research project to improve Canada’s resilience to flooding

The Canadian government has earmarked over $585,000 for a research project led by l’Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) that will look into the cost of future flooding and how public policy can contribute to climate change resilience.

The project is in partnership with the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), the Université Laval, and the University of Waterloo.

UQAM professor Mathieu Boudreault, principal researcher for the project, said in a news release the project will help develop the mathematical tools needed to quantify the impacts of climate change on the financial management of flooding.

“In collaboration with the Université Laval and the University of Waterloo, the project will help develop leaders in actuarial science, risk management, and public policy design. The ultimate objective is to strengthen Canadians’ resilience to climate change,” Boudreault said.

The project will build on other work, including the interdisciplinary Task Force on Flood Insurance and Relocation’s report Adapting to Rising Flood Risk: An Analysis of Insurance Solutions for Canada.

In the funding announcement, Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said Canadians “deserve access to financial protection” as climate change increases the frequency of flooding across the country.

“This research project will support our government’s goal to increase flood resilience by using science-based solutions, and I’m grateful for the leadership of these three institutions and the Insurance Bureau of Canada in improving flood risk management,” Blair said.

The total federal contribution includes $318,359 from Public Safety Canada’s Policy Development Contribution Program and $270,000 from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada is also contributing $30,991 for the research project.

“Costing of flood risk across Canada is essential to developing and prioritizing measures to reduce that risk,” said Craig Stewart, vice-president, climate change and federal issues, for the Insurance Bureau of Canada. “IBC is pleased to partner with Public Safety Canada to support UQAM in this important research and to expand on the costing work undertaken for the Task Force on Flood Insurance and Relocation. In an era where these risks are being amplified by a changing climate, this is a challenging task, but UQAM have demonstrated they are equal to it.”