Government of Canada creates platform for Canada-wide flood risk awareness: Canada's Flood Risk Finder

OTTAWA, ON, April 27, 2026 /CNW/ - Today, The Honourable Eleanor Olszewski provided an update on the development of Canada's Flood Risk Finder, Canada's first national, publicly available source of flood hazard and risk information. This new platform will provide a consistent picture of flood hazard and risk with straightforward, easy-to-access information.

Technical development of Canada's Flood Risk Finder is now complete, and provinces and territories can now opt in so local flood risk information will be available and searchable in the portal for Canadians living in those jurisdictions. Flood risk management in Canada is a shared responsibility across jurisdictions and Public Safety Canada will advance work urgently with provinces and territories this summer to support participation in Canada's Flood Risk Finder. The rollout of Canada's Flood Risk Finder to Canadians in provinces and territories who participate will be communicated publicly as provinces and territories opt in.

The Government of Canada is taking an active leadership role by creating a common platform that provinces and territories can support through optional participation. This new platform will help to improve flood awareness, encourage Canadians to take action to mitigate their risk and provide a common source of information to support emergency management across the country.

With a simple address search, users will be able to quickly find information about the flood risk in their area, rated on a four-point scale from low to extreme. This new tool complements other sources of data, like local, provincial, and territorial maps, and fills gaps that can make flood risk information difficult to obtain and understand.

The Government of Canada encourages Canadian homeowners, renters and businesses to improve their flood preparedness and resilience by learning more about steps they can take to reduce the impact of floods on their property at Canada.ca/flood-risk.

Together these resources will strengthen Canada's flood resilience at all levels and help Canadians better prepare for, respond to, and mitigate against flood hazards.

Quotes

"Canada's Flood Risk Finder has been designed to promote flood risk awareness and support conversations between communities, governments, stakeholders, leaders and neighbours on how we can take action today to improve our resilience to the floods of tomorrow."

• The Honourable Eleanor Olszewski, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada

"Municipalities are the first to respond and the first to see the growing impacts of climate change every day, and we welcome the federal government's update on Canada's Flood Risk Finder to strengthen flood awareness and preparedness. Reducing exposure to flooding will take sustained collaboration across all orders of government. As provinces and territories opt in, municipalities and Canadians will be looking for high-quality, transparent data that reflects local conditions and builds on the resilience measures municipalities already have underway."

• Rebecca Bligh, President, Federation of Canadian Municipalities

"Canada's Flood Risk Finder is an important step in helping Canadians better understand their exposure to flood risk. Clear, accessible information empowers homeowners and renters to make more informed decisions and take practical steps to mitigate their risk. Initiatives like this help build awareness and support broader efforts to strengthen resilience across the country."

• Liam McGuinty, Vice President Federal Affairs, Insurance Bureau of Canada

Quick Facts

• Canada's Flood Risk Finder has been created through a collaborative effort of federal departments including Natural Resources Canada, Statistics Canada and Public Safety Canada.
• Expertise in data, information technology, and usability testing were leveraged from Statistics Canada, who have worked in close collaboration with Public Safety Canada on the development of Canada's Flood Risk Finder.
• Funding provided by the Flood Hazard Identification and Mapping program has enabled the procurement and development of the Federally Identified Flood Risk Areas datasets, which provide the underlying data for Canada's Flood Risk Finder.
• Expertise from Natural Resources Canada has supported the development of the underlying data and Canada's Flood Risk Finder.
• Canada's Flood Risk Finder provides information on what type of flooding can be expected at a location. Identified flood types include coastal, rainfall, riverine and a combination of those flood types.
• In Canada, flooding is the most common and costly natural hazard, causing an average annual loss of over $2 billion.
• As climate impacts continue to intensify, the Government of Canada recognizes that a more ambitious, strategic, and collaborative approach is required to adapt and build resilience to the impacts of climate change.
• Reducing disaster risks by preparing in advance costs less than responding and rebuilding after an event. Building disaster resilience requires strong leadership and collaboration across governments, communities and organizations, clear communication on disaster risks, and tools to help address climate change.

Associated Links

• Canada.ca/flood-risk
• Actions to reduce flood damage

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SOURCE Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada (PSEPC)

Contacts: Soraya Lemur, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Eleanor Olszewski, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada, [email protected]; Media Relations, Public Safety Canada, 613-991-0657, [email protected]