TURNING THE TIDE: How flood risk transparency can drive equitable outcomes in Canada

The report examines the intersection of flood risk transparency and social equity in Canada, arguing that current practices in mapping, disclosure, and pricing often disproportionately disadvantage marginalized communities. It highlights gaps in map availability for rural and remote areas, ambiguities in real estate disclosure, and the risk of 'bluelining' or 'degentrification' where equity-deserving groups are trapped in high-risk areas due to financial constraints. The authors recommend accelerating co-developed flood mapping, standardizing disclosure requirements for rentals and real estate, and implementing affordability assessments in the forthcoming national public flood insurance program to support just climate adaptation.

• Flood risk mapping in Canada is often unavailable or outdated in areas where equity-deserving groups are overrepresented, particularly in rural and remote regions where government-owned assets are fewer.
• Public flood maps are frequently inaccessible to marginalized communities due to physical barriers, such as the requirement to visit government offices for paper copies, and technical barriers, as maps are designed for specialists rather than the general public.
• Current Canadian flood mapping frameworks generally prioritize economic value at risk over social vulnerability, meaning they identify areas with the highest financial risk rather than where the most vulnerable people are located.
• Real estate flood risk disclosure is inconsistent across Canada because it relies on the 'knowledge of the seller,' and there is no obligation for sellers or agents to provide information they do not personally possess.
• There are currently no legal requirements for landlords in Canada to disclose flood risks to tenants, which disproportionately affects equity-deserving groups who are overrepresented among renters.
• Rising flood insurance premiums may force low-income households to choose between insurance and basic necessities, and the proposed national public flood insurance program may still be unaffordable without specific ability-to-pay assessments.
• Flood risk pricing can lead to 'bluelining' and 'degentrification,' where lower-income individuals are trapped in high-risk neighborhoods because they cannot afford to move to safer, gentrifying areas.
• Standard insurance policies in Canada often require that payouts be used to rebuild a property in its original location, which prevents homeowners from strategically relocating to safer areas after a disaster.

APA

Sparling, E., Eyzaguirre, J., & Wale, J. (n.d.). TURNING THE TIDE: How flood risk transparency can drive equitable outcomes in Canada. Canadian Climate Institute. http://canadianclimat.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Turning-the-tide.pdf

Chicago

Sparling, Erik, Jimena Eyzaguirre, and Janna Wale. TURNING THE TIDE: How flood risk transparency can drive equitable outcomes in Canada. Canadian Climate Institute, n.d. http://canadianclimat.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Turning-the-tide.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Sparling |first1=Erik |last2=Eyzaguirre |first2=Jimena |last3=Wale |first3=Janna |title=TURNING THE TIDE: How flood risk transparency can drive equitable outcomes in Canada |publisher=Canadian Climate Institute |url=http://canadianclimat.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Turning-the-tide.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sparlingndturning, author = {Sparling, Erik and Eyzaguirre, Jimena and Wale, Janna}, title = {{TURNING THE TIDE: How flood risk transparency can drive equitable outcomes in Canada}}, institution = {Canadian Climate Institute}, url = {http://canadianclimat.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Turning-the-tide.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }