Water Institute member Blair Feltmate, professor in Waterloo's School of Environment, Enterprise and Development and the head of the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo, spoke with Vassy Kapelos on CBC’s Power & Politics about flood risk.
Instead of trying to control or prevent flooding, residents should adapt their homes to withstand it, says an architect who develops amphibious homes.
Keith Hipel, Water Institute member and professor in Waterloo's Department of Systems Design Engineering, has been awarded the 2019 Killam Prize through the Canada Council for the Arts.
This coveted $100,000 national award for scholars is given annually to eminent, active scholars in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, health sciences and engineering.
Cartographic depictions of areas most likely to flood under certain conditions are invaluable resources for Canadians. But unfortunately, the vast majority do not have access to such maps
Is Quebec Premier François Legault’s offer to pay homeowners $200,000 to abandon their flood-prone houses an example of government largesse, or an unjust drop in the bucket for residents whose homes were once worth far more?
The answer is complex, because when it comes to building homes on flood plains, there are several players who may share the blame, including the federal, provincial and municipal governments, the homeowners, and a capricious global weather system.
A motto for the prepared home owner: Water is coming.
Apologies for jumping aboard the Game of Thrones trend – “Winter is coming” is the motto of a dynastic family in the book and TV series. But there is no overdramatizing water’s malevolent force when you own a house with a basement.
Jason Thistlethwaite, professor in the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development at the University of Waterloo, said Quebecers can expect flooding to get worse because climate change is making winter temperatures more volatile.
Tyler Hampton in the midst of field research, Augusta Creek, Michigan.
With the right information and often for less than $250, homeowners can protect themselves from the increasing risks of basement floods, according to a report from the University of Waterloo.
Water Institute member Blair Feltmate, professor in Waterloo's School of Environment, Enterprise and Development and the head of the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo, is part of a new Pan-Canadian Expert Collaboration team on climate change, green energy, and adaptation.