Tens of millions to prevent floods sleep in Ottawa

It is not invented: when we recover last Sunday floods, tens of millions of dollars available to make climate adaptation sleep in the trunks of the federal government, learned The press.

This federal climate adaptation program allows citizens to finance work to protect their homes against floods.

Ottawa would like to distribute these 25-30 million in Quebec. If this money sleeps in Ottawa, it is because Quebec does not allow Quebec cities to claim it.

It is discouraging.

Money in this federal program (financing of community efficiency, or FEC) is spent across the country except in Quebec. Because a Quebec law prevents cities in practice from participating in this federal program.

This FEC program makes loans to very low interest (from 1 % to 3 %, rather than 10 % for a bank) to citizens so that they make renovations to consume less energy or adapt their house to the climate. Ottawa has reserved $ 300 million over six years for this program. Ottawa lends money to the city, which makes the loan to the citizen and reimburses itself over several years through property taxes. It is a simple and winning formula for the world.

This program is almost finished. Ottawa distributed 268 million out of 300 million, almost exclusively outside Quebec. Of the 268 million, the federalum only distributed $ 540,000 in Quebec because Quebec cities do not have the right to do this type of loans via property taxes under the law, unlike the rest of the country.

“Without the participation of municipalities, it was very difficult [de distribuer de l’argent au Québec] “Said Chris Boivin, principal director of development of the Canadian Municipal Federation, who manages the federal program.

There are 25-30 million in the cash register, and Ottawa would like to distribute them entirely in Quebec. But Quebec would have to change its law.

The city of Montreal would like Quebecers to benefit from it. After all, these are their taxes. “It must be a priority that there is money to citizens to make their buildings resilient to climate change,” says Maja Vodanovic, water manager at the Executive Committee of the City of Montreal.

A non-profit organization, eco-accommodation, is even ready to manage this type of program “Tomorrow morning”, says Mathieu Gillet, head of eco-habiting development.

Eco-accommodation already has a ready program, JérenoVeco. Currently, the organization makes support, but no funding. With the millions in Ottawa, eco-accommodation could offer a turnkey solution in collaboration with cities.

So if someone lights the Legault government, there are 25-30 million of our money sleeping in Ottawa.

To be more precise, Ottawa is currently finance two programs for climate adaptation.

There is the FEC, which we have just told you about and which pulls at its end.

And in 2024, Ottawa launched a second program (local leadership for climate adaptation), mainly to help cities to build public climate adaptation infrastructure (eg: sponges parks). Ottawa will invest 530 million over seven years.

In the first year, Ottawa distributed 30 million, including only 0.5 million in Quebec. Ottawa and Quebec did not conclude any understanding to distribute funds.

Without agreement, Quebec municipalities cannot submit a request directly to Ottawa, for questions of jurisdiction. Traditionally, Quebec prefers that Ottawa transfers the funds to him for Quebec to manage them himself.

Ottawa would like to distribute these 530 million in the provinces in proportion to their population. Quebec represents 22 % of the Canadian population; 22 % of 530 million is 116 million by 2031.

“We are under discussion [avec Ottawa]. It is moving well. As always, our priority is that Quebec receives its fair share, ”says the cabinet of the Minister of Municipal Affairs of Quebec, Andrée Laforest by email. The Canadian Municipal Federation confirms that discussions are moving well. It is therefore a little more positive in this file. But while we negotiate, the climate crisis does not wait.

What should we do as a company to protect ourselves from floods, which may be more and more recurrent due to climate change?

At the dawn of the municipal electoral campaign in Montreal, we were treated to two very different solutions after Sunday floods.

The administration of Valérie Plante wants to replace “as quickly as possible” the aging sewers in the priority sectors, but put above all on the sponges installations (e.g. sponge parks, green sidewalks) to retain more water on the surface surface¹. “We will invest the money where it is the most paying [en matière de résultats] For citizens, with criteria based on science, ”says Maja Vodanovic.

In the opposition, the Montreal overall chief, Soraya Martinez Ferrada, wants to “double the capacity of the collectors” of the sewers. “A sponge park, it will not solve the problem we see with yesterday’s rains. We must double the capacity of collectors, ”she says¹.

M solution^me Martinez Ferrada, who would cost billions of dollars, is simple at first glance. But it does not hold water.

“It is a legitimate impression to think that it is a solution, but we must not do that,” says Jean-Luc Martel, professor at the School of Higher Technology and expert in water management.

Currently, the sewer network in Montreal can generally accommodate up to 35 mm of rain on time. On Sunday, there were 105 mm of rain in an hour.

In 2017, the City of Montreal invested 365 million in water infrastructure. In 2025, she invested 599 million. Quebec and Ottawa finance around 35 % of this work.

Professor Jean-Luc Martel believes that the city of Montreal has the right approach with its sponges facilities, which retain the most rainwater on the surface, to send as little as possible in the sewers.

But there is still a lot of work to do for all government orders in terms of climate adaptation.

“We are going to say the real cases: there will never be zero risk,” says Professor Jean-Luc Martel. We are vulnerable to extreme rains, and we cannot change this overnight. It is a long -term problem that will take years, even decades to settle. But we can improve the situation. »»

1. Read the article “Torrential rains in Montreal: more years before you can replace all sewers”

What do you think? Take part in the dialogue