Item No. 7.5

Council Report: C 46/2020

Subject: Response to CQ19-2019 Regarding A Flood Abatement By-Law

Reference:

• Date to Council: April 27, 2020
• Author: Wira Vendrasco
• Deputy City Solicitor
• wvendrasco@citywindsor.ca
• (519) 255-6100 x6375
• Legal Services, Real Estate & Risk Management
• Report Date: 3/11/2020
• Clerk's File #: SW2020

To: Mayor and Members of City Council

Recommendation:

That City Council RECEIVE the response to CQ19-2019 for information.

Executive Summary:

N/A

Background:

At its meeting of July 22, 2019, Council approved CR383/2019 authorizing a response to the following Council Question from Councillor Gignac:

CQ 19-2019:

Asks is it possible to pass a by-law that permits the City to engage in flood abatement activities on private property at full cost recovery and if so, that administration bring forward a draft by-law for council consideration.

Recent years have brought increased frequency of flooding events in municipalities across Ontario, including Windsor. Currently, the Great Lakes waterways that border Windsor sit at historic high-water levels.

In response to the flood events of 2019, the provincial government undertook consultation regarding flood mitigation and land use planning policies. The resulting report, An Independent Review of the 2019 Flood Events in Ontario, produced sixty-six recommendations for provincial ministries and local governments to address flooding prevention and response. Subsequently on March 9, 2020, Minister Yakabuski announced the release of Protecting People and Property: Ontario's Flooding Strategy.