The Government of Alberta is taking legislative action to protect Albertans from future floods by introducing new policies that will curb additional development in floodways, lessen future damage in areas prone to flooding and keep homebuyers abreast of future flood assistance opportunities.
The Flood Recovery and Reconstruction Act (Bill 27) was introduced in the Legislature Oct. 28, and involved seven different amendments to the Municipal Government Act and the Emergency Management Act.
The policies were first announced in July.
“When the floods hit, we acted quickly to respond and rebuild in a way that ensured Albertans were better protected from future floods,” said Doug Griffiths, minister of Municipal Affairs. “We’re now putting these policies into law, creating a strong foundation for protection for the future.”
The changes include:
Planning development in floodways – Municipalities will no longer be permitted to approve new developments in floodways, with the exception of Drumheller and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.
Funding mitigation efforts – Albertans living in flood fringe areas are eligible for additional funding to mitigate their homes against future flooding.
Land title notices – Notices will be placed on the land titles of properties located in flood hazard areas that received disaster assistance as a result of the June flooding. The notice will indicate that the property is not eligible for future assistance. Property owners in the flood fringe can have the notice removed by putting the bare minimum flood mitigation conditions in place, while the properties located in a floodway will have a permanent notice on their land title.
Additional amendments can be viewed by visiting alberta.ca.
