By Tyler Marr

Flood plain plans fall flat amidst stern opposition

Sep 18, 2017 | 11:39 PM

The back-and-forth between the city, province and residents over the one-in-500 year flood plain policy will continue after council defeated the proposed bylaw 6-3 Monday night.

The province gave the city an extended deadline to finalize a mandated flood plan as Prince Albert was and continues to be the only community yet to sign on. Efforts can come in the form of new building standards and damage reduction infrastructure. 

Leading the charge against the plan was Coun. Don Cody. After calling the governments bluff on an allegation they would seize the city’s planning department if the bylaw did not pass, said he believed pushing through the changes was “a little premature tonight.”

“If there is a bad law, you change the law….Why do you change them? You change them for the betterment of the community,” Cody said. “I am a big promoter in development but let’s develop it in a proper way, not on the backs of a few, but on a broad brush of everyone.”

Cody — who represents many of the 2,000 residents affected by the plain, including himself — has questioned the 40-year-old data for some time. At a one-in-500-year flood plain policy public meeting earlier this month, he and many in attendance questioned the science behind the plan and pushed for revisitation.

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Those who would have been impacted by the new policy have taken issue with additional building costs that would accompany any new regulations and the negative impact it may have on their homes resale value. Affordable housing builders have called foul on the move, saying it will increase building costs by nearly $30,000 per build. Adhering to a one-in-100-year flood line is seen as more reasonable. 

The prospect of a two-metre berm along the river bank has been considered but it would come with a price tag of $11 to 15 million. The city could also spend $1.7 million on sandbags and bladders. 

“I do believe in all my heart of hearts, I think the time is still ripe enough that we can ask governments to help us in that regard,” he said. “There is probably even better things we can do.”

Cody and other councillors wanted to explore these and other options, such as working with neighbouring communities on buying mitigation supplies and lobbying the government for further funding.

Mayor Greg Dionne was willful in his disagreement, saying the bylaw needed to be passed to help move the city forward and raised issue over funding. He explained how some funding is conditional on having an official community plan, which was conditional on having the flood plain regulations pass. 

He also reiterated how the rules were essentially already in place.

“It is the law today. The law is in effect. [The director of planning and development] cannot allow anyone to build unless they meet the standards,” he said. “All you are asking to do is stall and we have got to quit stalling.”

Dionne believed those trying to convince people homes were not selling in the proposed flood zone or feared a ‘ghettoing’ of their communities were simply “fear mongering.”

After a rigorous round of debate and countless monologues, a recorded vote on the matter was called by Dionne. He, Coun. Evert Botha and Dennis Nowoselsky voted yes, while the rest of council said no. 

Though defeated, the mayor said at the end of the day nothing really changes and believed the setback was short term, as anyone who wanted to develop in that area still has to comply with one-in-500 year policy. 

Moving forward, Dionne intended to ask administration to begin to roll out the 10 regulations to help those who want to renovate or build new in anticipation of future rules. He also planned to take council’s concerns to the province and discuss what can be done to move forward.

“I will be taking it to the government (and) asking them to come up with more concrete, more current information on the decision of the flood plain,” he said after the meeting but gave no indication on a timeline.

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr