How we can make our cities more rain-ready

We can’t stop the rain from falling, but we can make our homes, neighbourhoods and our cities more resilient in the face of extreme weather.

Published Sep 25, 2026  •  3 minute read

When a road becomes a river, Toronto's Front Street after the early September rain.

The one thing key research institutions and government bodies from around the world agree on – from the University of Oxford to NASA to Environment Canada is that extreme weather is here to stay.

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That includes 100-year storms now occurring as often as every five years, contributing to catastrophic flooding in our cities, flooding that has contributed to a spike in home insurance claims, rising premiums (Ontario rates rose 6.2 per cent just in 2026). And a single water damage claim can increase insurance by hundreds of dollars a year.

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In Toronto’s most recent flood disaster earlier this month, 110 millimetres of rain fell within hours, causing flash flooding on major routes. At its peak, 65,000 Toronto Hydro customers lost power and emergency services fielded over 1,000 requests to clear flooded basements.

Ottawa was hit by an equally violent storm a few weeks prior, downing trees and powerlines and flooding basements. Damage the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) estimates cost $466 million.

The cause of the overland flooding when these storms hit isn’t just more rain, but where the rain lands. Our cities are dominated by hard surfaces – the roads we drive on, sprawling parking lots and most roofs.

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Instead of absorbing water, these surfaces shunt it away, causing overland flooding. And as confirmed by IBC spokesperson Rob de Pruis “standard home insurance does not automatically include overland flood or sewer backup coverage. These coverages are optional and have to be added on at an additional cost.”

So if you live in a flood prone area, your first line of defence is to pay for more coverage. Or accept that if your basement is ever flooded, the remediation cost could easily run into the 10’s of thousands of dollars.

Another proactive measure that cities across the country have embraced with a sense of urgency, is making our downtown cores more sponge-like.

Toronto’s ambitious Green Streets program fast-tracks the construction of green infrastructure that includes everything from the construction of trenches along roads that channels water to trees and plants to bioretention cells that help collect overland flows to vegetation heavy bioswales (depressed planting beds) that help absorb water.

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The city is also building a growing number of boulevard gardens – either between sidewalks and the road or as islands in the centre of roads.

But the reality for our cash-strapped cities is their budgets are constrained and municipal land only account for a faction of the urban footprint.

And that’s where homeowners can help make a difference. For instance rain barrels that divert roof runoff and can be used for irrigation during dry spells are free or heavily subsidized by municipalities throughout the province.

Rain Raid Ottawa is a model program other cities should take note of… a program that offers rebates of up to $5,000 in flood prone neighbourhoods. The funding covers rain garden installation (plants, soil, materials), permeable pavement and soak away pits.

While similar programs are also underway in Hamilton, Guelph and Thunder Bay, far fewer cities – including Toronto, have yet to get on board. Although starting next year, Toronto’s Green Infrastructure Incentive program will award up to $500 toward the professional design of a rain garden or permeable surface.

If there is one takeaway from all of this, it’s that if we care about making our cities less flood-prone, each of us has a role to play, whether you’re a homeowner or a member of local council.

And while we can’t stop the rain from falling, we can make our homes, neighbourhoods and ultimately, our cities more resilient in the face of extreme weather.

– Mark Wessel lives in Ridgeway, Ont. and is a passionate advocate for living more sustainably at home and in the greater community. Visit www.markdouglaswessel.com.

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