Shaieree Cottar is a PhD Student in the department of Geography and Environmental Management. She is researching the emergent role of property buyouts as a climate adaptation tool in Canadian municipalities. Her work intersects the areas of climate policy, disaster risk reduction and managed retreat. By analyzing flood disasters in two different provinces, Shaieree was able to document flood timelines and recovery efforts, examine the disaster recovery policies implemented and assess the application of property buyouts in high-risk communities.
The empirical research revealed that both neighbourhoods were able to recover from the flood events using an array of retreat and accommodate approaches. In Pointe Gatineau, the use of special intervention zones coupled with property buyouts enabled some homeowners to retreat, but gaps in program eligibility and implementation left others excluded from the process. In contrast, residents in Constance Bay had to rebuild or individually retreat due to the lack of alternative recovery options offered by the provincial government.
(Left) A property in Pointe Gatineau, QC opposite the Ottawa River undergoes structural renovations after the 2019 floods. (Right) A home in Constance Bay, ON is surrounded by sandbags to protect it from the flooded banks of the Ottawa River (Photo Credit: Cottar, 2019).
"The hope with this work is to illustrate the need to incorporate property buyouts as a policy tool in governments adaptation toolkit. We know that climate change will trigger more catastrophic flood events rendering some areas vulnerable to these changes. Using buyouts as a mechanism to move people and assets out from harms way is one adaptation technique to build more resilient communities."
If you are interested in learning more about Shaieree’s research, please contact her at scottar@uwaterloo.ca
References:
Cottar, S., Doberstein, B., Henstra, D., & Wandel, J. (2021). Evaluating property buyouts and disaster recovery assistance (Rebuild) options in Canada: A comparative analysis of Constance Bay, Ontario and Pointe Gatineau, Quebec. Natural Hazards, 1-20.