The number of buildings located in flood-prone areas has doubled in Greater Montreal, according to maps posted online on Monday by the Montreal Metropolitan Community (MMC) council.
The organization hopes to encourage citizens to participate in public consultations on the issue. Nearly 15,000 buildings in Greater Montreal, including 19,000 housing units, are said to be in flood-prone zones, according to the MMC.
This is roughly double the number of buildings previously in flood zones, and “it also represents 9.9 billion in property values”, said Nicolas Milot, acting director of ecological transition and innovation at the MMC, at a technical briefing for the media last Friday.
Pierrefonds and Vaudreuil-Dorion are examples of cities that would be “heavily impacted” by the new regulations, Milot said.
“Vaudreuil-Dorion was practically our perfect student before, there were no houses in flood zones … but the new ratings mean that there will be a major expansion …