2022
Natural Disasters 201
British Columbia’s current flood management regime creates problems and risks for its local governments. Many important areas in the province are at risk of flooding, ranging from dense residential multifamily areas to key farmland which is integral to food security. Structural defences against floods, such as dams and dikes, are proving inadequate as infrastructure ages. The risks, expenses, and damages resulting from floods have grown exponentially in recent times as a result of climate change. Existing structural defences are required in the short to medium term to protect and preserve existing property, but in the future the costs and logistics of these types of shoreline-hardening defences will make them an unsustainable option in many areas. This paper identifies and considers some potential policy responses to these flood risks, and some of the measures that must be taken to implement them.