Should basement living spaces in Montreal be banned? Mayors weigh in
Global News
Experts expect floods from heavy rains to happen more frequently, and municipalities are struggling to come up with ways to protect property, including amending laws.
With climate change, experts expect floods from heavy rains to happen more frequently, and municipal authorities are struggling to come up with ways to protect property, including amending laws.
“So we don’t create problems for the future,” explained Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante.
She suggests boroughs consider doing what she has done in certain areas of the borough of Ville-Marie, where she’s also borough mayor.
“Where it will not be allowed anymore to build new housing with a basement that people will have to live in, because we know they can be flooded,” she pointed out.
The struggle to protect properties comes after the costliest weather event in Quebec’s history. In August, the remnants of tropical storm Debby brought up to 175 millimetres of rain to some parts of the province in hours. It caused widespread flooding, power outages and washed-out roads. Montreal was particularly hard hit, with some residents finding their basements completely unlivable.
City of Montreal executive committee member responsible for waterworks, Maja Vodanovic, told Global News that other measures are being implemented in some other boroughs as well, if the property is in a low area where water naturally flows.
“You can no longer have an apartment in a basement, in a low point,” she stressed. “You can no longer have a garage in the basement, if you’re in a low point.”
The low points are not necessarily flood zones. To see if your property or street is in a low area, the city has a map on its website that shows all those areas in blue.
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