Quebec is expected to publish a new flood zone map of the province this spring that will include approximately two per cent of the population in the zones. Dozens of homeowners gathered in Vaudreuil-Dorion to demand a seat at the table. Marie-Josee Dupont bought land in the Lac St-Jean area less than two years ago, and her land is now listed as a high risk area. “I will not be able to build a house and I’m not in front of the water. I’m far and far away from the water,” said Dupont. Julie Despres’s house on Ile-Bizard has never flooded, but the new map will put her in a zone. She came to the meeting to gather for information along with other concerned homeowners. The group has already written to Environment Minister Benoit Charette, asking for consultation before the new map is published. “How did you calculate the zone?” asked Ile-Bizard resident Pier-Luc Cauchon. “Because they’re not showing the probability of a flood by zone, just the risk that they calculated, and the information we have is that they are adding aggregated risk factor on top of the statistics to have a buffer or some kind of security.” Those at the gathering say the map doesn’t reflect improvements, like flood barriers installed in recent years. “When they put flood barriers, it’s not considered in the map,” said Marie-Claude Nolin of Vaudreuil-Dorion. “To recognize that our homes are protected from the flood.” The Environment Minister’s office told CTV News that Québec is modernizing the framework for flood protection and is incorporating next-generation regulatory maps of flood zones and flood risk forecasts. A petition, that has received support from Vaudreuil-Dorion Mayor Guy Pilon, has collected thousands of signatures. It’s the asking the provincial government review the flood zone map before it’s passed into law. Dupont says many Quebecers might be very disappointed. “You pay your bills, pay your taxes, and one day that’s all gone because the law changed,” she said. Homeowners say its especially worrisome when a line on a map could de-value your property by half.
