Flooding – Thinking ahead
Gatineau is a resilient and proactive city when it comes to flooding. Thinking ahead is one of several essential steps to prepare ourselves and to guide our decisions about how to better protect citizens against future flooding.
The City wanted to hear from residents who have been directly affected by flooding and receive their recommendations and suggestions on how to mitigate flood risks. Four consultative sessions by invitation only were scheduled with residents directly affected by flooding in November and December 2020. The affected residents could take part in the consultative process by participating in the consultation scheduled for their district or by forwarding their suggestions by email. The committee of experts is preparing a report on the proposals received, which will be included among the recommendations made to the Council.
The City of Gatineau has set up an advisory committee of well-known experts to guide municipal decisions on flooding. The committee's mandate is to advise the City on municipal planning and protective measures in flood-risk areas.
The consultations will be based on the following principles that draw on those spelled out in the Sustainable Development Act:
The mandate of the advisory committee is to make recommendations to the City on:
Submission of the committee's final report is slated for fall 2020. Once this has been done, the committee will have completed its mandate.
The membership of the advisory committee on municipal planning and protective measures in flood-risk areas is composed of the following experts:
Chair:
René Villemure, ethicist, President of Ethikos.
Members:
Mario Gauthier, Full Professor of Urban Studies, Department of Social Sciences, Université du Québec en Outaouais.
Michel Leclerc, P. Eng., Executive Hydrologist, Regional County Municipality of Vaudreuil-Soulanges and Honorary Associate Professor, Centre Eau Terre Environnement, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique.
Audrey Maheu, Professor of Ecohydrology, Department of Natural Sciences, Université du Québec en Outaouais, and Researcher, Institut des Sciences de la Forêt Tempérée.
Alain Mailhot, Professor of Urban Hydrology, Centre Eau Terre Environnement, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique.
Alain N. Rousseau, Researcher in Hydrology and Integrated Watershed Management, Centre Eau Terre Environnement, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique.
Intervenants : M. Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin, maire de la Ville de Gatineau et M. René Villemure, président du Comité consultatif d'experts sur les inondations de Gatineau
Sujet : État de la situation du Comité consultatif d'experts en inondations de Gatineau
Under a mandate from the Quebec government, the City of Gatineau is updating the flood-risk map for the Outaouais. This should be completed by spring 2020.
The City is also actively participating in discussing and implementing future flood-mitigation measures in Quebec. For example, Gatineau currently sits on the municipal committee set up by the Quebec government in June 2019 under its action plan on flood-mitigation land-use planning (only in French).
Recognized for its quality of life, Gatineau is a city of 292,000 inhabitants. It is located on the north shore of the Ottawa River, and extends east and west of the Gatineau River.