Province's flooding strategy 'rings hollow,' Green leader says

The province has released a new flooding strategy, but without any funding to help mitigate flooding, it "rings hollow," says Green Party of Ontario Leader Mike Schreiner.

Schreiner, who also serves as the MPP for Guelph, said the province has worked to undermine flood prevention efforts, including cancelling a tree planting program and cuts to conservation authorities "which have played a vital role in protecting us from flooding."

"The fact that there's no funding attached to any of the recommendations in the strategy makes me think the government isn't taking this as serious as they need to," he said.

Ontario's Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry John Yakabuski says the new strategy isn't meant to prevent floods.

"They can't be prevented," he told CBC Kitchener-Waterloo's The Morning Edition host Craig Norris Wednesday.

Instead the strategy is meant to enhance the province's system for flood forecasting and then inform municipalities and property owners of potential rising waters.

"So by having that information, we're in a better position to predict nothing's perfect but to predict when and where floods might occur and, to some degree, the veracity of them," he said.

Strategy 'short sighted and fiscally irresponsible'

Yakabuski says the government is investing $4.7 million in the warning system.

He did not say if the government is considering funding flood mitigation efforts.

When asked if he believes climate change is causing more flooding, Yakabuski said he believes the government's climate change plan is "taking the necessary steps to ensure that flooding in Ontario is forecasted better, we respond to it better and we recover from it better."

Schreiner said it's less expensive to prevent a flood than to pay for damages afterwards.

"It's so short sighted and fiscally irresponsible for the government to take this approach," he said.

He said the province says it's just cutting red tape.

"I don't think those types of environmental protections that help prevent flooding is red tape," he said.

Listen to the interview with Minister Yakabuski: