After 2017's devastating floods, Quebec communities face tough questions about building on flood plains
By Alison Northcott
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After an exceptionally snowy winter, Quebec municipalities are again watching the forecast closely, fearing another round of flooding.
In some communities hard-hit by floods in 2017, officials are also thinking long-term, preparing for future disasters.
"As a mayor, I took a position that climate change will have an effect on flooding," said Normand Marinacci, mayor of Montreal's L'Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève borough, which includes Île Mercier.
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The province said it would not permit those homeowners to rebuild, because of the high risk of future flooding.
Earlier this month, the borough took another preventative step when it passed a bylaw extending the no-build zone. The bylaw prohibits anyone from building or expanding on land that could flood within the next 100 years.
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