Federal and provincial help will have to be a part of Toronto flood control strategies, councillors told – Beach Metro Community News

By AMARACHI AMADIKE

Toronto has a problem. Hundreds of homes, as well as a section of Don Valley Parkway, were built on floodplains. To make matters worse, the city’s urban design is riddled with hard surfaces that leaves little room for rain water to be absorbed.

During heavy storms, like the ones experienced earlier this month, water travels to sewers, creeks, and other waterways, picking up waste on its journey.

With consensus that accumulation of water on hard surfaces plays a major role in these floods, on Thursday, July 25, Toronto Council unanimously passed Mayor Olivia Chow’s motion directing city staff to explore flood mitigation strategies as well as to look into opportunities to reduce stormwater run-off from “non-residential properties whose impermeable surfaces drive up flooding, stormwater costs, beach closures, and water pollution.”

According to Toronto Water General Manager Lou Di Gironimo, who was present at City Hall for the July 25 meeting, about half of the impermeable surfaces which drive up stormwater costs and flooding are on non-residential properties.

Currently, the cost of managing stormwater is paid for through residents’ water rates.

But with properties that don’t have a metered water service – such as parking lots – failing to contribute to the cost of managing stormwater run-off, residential properties are left with a larger bill, leaving little room for the City of Toronto to increase stormwater management charges without backlash.

“If you want to accelerate and do more (flood mitigation) projects, you then have to look at the financing model,” said Di Gironimo. “You’re either raising rates so we can put more money into basement flooding, or we’re cutting back on other programs which we wouldn’t recommend.”

Due to the city operating under massive financial strain, Toronto Water was ordered to create a “revenue neutral” flood mitigation plan that doesn’t require a budget expansion.

“If I would describe it, it’s similar to what occurred with the reassessment where you’re just changing who pays for what but the total amount (invested) stays the same,” said Di Gironimo.

This raised questions regarding how flood mitigation efforts can be accelerated without generating the required funds.

“This whole exercise is a wash,” said Don Valley North Councillor Shelley Carroll.

Di Gironimo informed councillors that the only alternative is to seek out federal and provincial government assistance.

So far, the federal government has provided assistance through the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund as well as by financing two trunk water sewer projects – the Fairbank Silverthorn Storm Trunk Sewer System and Mid-Town Toronto Storm Sewer Relief. The latter has been held up by land acquisition negotiations for about four years.

Di Gironimo said that Toronto Water is expecting an additional $172 million for a “bunch of local collector sewers that will drain into that tunnel as well.”

“I would welcome the province to come join us in this project,” he said. “They are the ones that set flood limits and regulate us, so I’d welcome their participation.”

At Thursday’s council meeting, Toronto’s General Manager of Transportation Services Division, Barbara Gray, pointed out that the city has also been exercising flood mitigation strategies in smaller ways over the years through its Green Streets Project.

This includes practices like porous pavement installations or curbside rain gardens to create natural water absorption mechanisms and minimize the flow of stormwater back to the waterways.

Although effective during rain events, Di Gironimo highlighted that such strategies are less reliable during extreme storms, alluding to the fact that larger infrastructure projects are vital if Toronto is to overcome its flooding issues.

This is evident in the more than 1,600 calls from residents who sought assistance after sewers backed up into their homes.

“In storm events you need the larger infrastructure that we’re building – from ponds to pipes, inline storage, etcetera,” he said. “These big storm events need a lot more storage capacity.”

Such infrastructure – like the Don River and Central Waterfront Wet Weather Flow System – are being funded through Toronto’s Wet Weather Flow Master Plan (WWFMP), a $4.5 billion project which is expected to last between 10 to 15 more years.

Other projects associated with WWFMP include the Ashbridges Bay Landform Project/Site of Future High-Rate Treatment Facility; New Integrated Pumping System; New Outfall; and New UV (ultraviolet) Disinfection Wastewater Treatment System.

To date, there has been $1.1 billion invested into the program, according to Toronto Water.

However, much more financing is needed in order to undertake other possible infrastructure projects such as raising the section of the DVP that rests in a floodplain.

Following Premier Doug Ford and Mayor Chow’s announcement of the New Deal, which uploaded responsibility of the DVP to the province, councillors are hoping that Ontario will undertake the necessary work in due time.

“Discussion is happening as part of that due diligence with the province,” said Gray. “That discussion has not been finalized yet.”

Under the City of Toronto’s control, however, is the Combined Sewer Overflow project which is at the tail end of the first phase – the Coxwell Bypass.

This 10.5 kilometres long tunnel is part of the 22 kilometre Don River and Central Waterfront Wet Weather Flow System. Once complete, it will keep combined sewer overflows from reaching the waterways during extreme storms.

According to the City of Toronto, the project which began in 2018 was expected to be completed this year but, at the moment, is “approximately 30 per cent complete”.

Di Gironimo, however, told councillors that failure to secure $1 billion in federal funding has forced them to revert to the original timeline which requires 10 to 15 more years for the project to be completed.

Toronto Water has been directed to report back to Toronto Council in the fourth quarter of 2024 with information on the additional resources required to reduce flooding across the city, as well as how it can be funded.