Southern Ontario Flood Equity Working Group

Photo: Mark Ingalls from Getty Images

Toronto Climate Observatory, in partnership with Climate Action Partnership, is leading a working group for municipal staff within Southern Ontario regarding flood equity. Through a series of five planned sessions, we will explore different dimensions of equitable flood information systems throughout the coming months, building toward comprehensive recommendations for the region’s flood information ecosystem.

Working Group Objectives:

1. Develop a best practices flood data and information framework: Synthesize current flood data and information management practices, resources, data, capacity and priority needs of municipal governments in Southern Ontario
2. Create an inter-municipal collaboration network and working group: Facilitate ongoing knowledge exchange on availability, accessibility, and usability for predicting, preparing for, mitigating, and recovering from floods in the region
3. Develop actionable recommendations for practitioner-academic and other partnerships to improve current flood risk management approaches

Working Group Structure: Five workshops:

1. Taking Stock: Current Flood Data and Information Needs in Southern Ontario
2. Hard Infrastructure: Data, tools, infrastructures
3. Soft Infrastructures: Capacities, resources, and networks
4. Participatory Approaches and Public Engagement
5. Institutional and legal arrangements

Upcoming Workshops

Engaging Communities for Flood Resilience in Southern Ontario
When: February 26 at 1:00 PM
Register Here

This workshop focuses on how participatory approaches and public engagement can strengthen flood risk communication and decision-making in Southern Ontario. It will examine how municipalities and partner organizations currently share flood data with residents, and what design and communication strategies can improve public understanding of risk. The workshop will also explore partnerships with community-based organizations, Indigenous communities, and researchers to co-produce flood information while addressing equity, privacy, and information-rights considerations.

Past Workshops

Taking Stock: Current Flood Data and Information Needs in Southern Ontario

Southern Ontario faces growing flood risks that require evidence-based approaches to develop equitable flood information systems that adequately consider vulnerable and at-risk populations. This workshop sought to take stock of current flood data and information capabilities across our region, identifying gaps, pressing requirements, and key challenges. We will draw on leading international frameworks to examine how these might inform practitioners in Southern Ontario, as we develop this framework for an equitable flood data information system. Together, we explored what equitable flood information systems could look like and how to collaboratively create them, recognizing that current evidence-based approaches may inadvertently overlook at-risk populations. Attendees engaged in structured breakout discussions to develop a collaborative vision for more equitable flood data and information systems that serve both long-term adaptation planning and broader community resilience goals.

Workshop Objectives and Learning Outcomes:

1. Current State Assessment: What flood data and information-related needs and challenges do we currently have? Where are the most significant gaps in coverage, quality, or accessibility across different municipalities in Southern Ontario?
2. Flood Data Equity and Access: What does flood data equity mean for Southern Ontario and how might we work towards flood information systems serving all communities equitably, particularly those who have been historically underserved or face greater vulnerability to flood impacts?
3. Collaborative Opportunities: What would effective regional collaboration look like for flood data collection and sharing, and how can we build on existing partnerships while addressing current limitations?
4. Information Ecosystems: What are the essential elements of a flood information ecosystem, and how might we work toward developing more equitable and comprehensive flood information systems that can support both long-term adaptation planning and broader community resilience goals?

Technologies: Data, tools, infrastructure

This workshop examined the technical foundations that enable effective flood risk management in Southern Ontario – from the data we collect to the tools we use to analyze and communicate flood information. Participants explored how hydrometric networks, satellite monitoring, hydraulic modeling software, and sensor technologies work together to create flood information systems, while examining how these technical choices can either support or hinder equitable access to critical flood data. Special guest speaker Dr. Rodrigo Costa from the University of Waterloo spoke about regional risk modeling and innovative approaches to simulating how disasters affect different communities. Together, we examined the limitations of current technologies and their connection to equity outcomes, exploring how we might redesign data collection, processing, and dissemination systems to better serve all communities and support more equitable flood risk management across Southern Ontario.

Workshop Objectives and Learning Outcomes:

1. Data Sources and Quality: What flood-related data streams are currently available (hydrometric, remote sensing, loss records) and where are the critical gaps? How do data quality issues and update frequencies affect decision-making for different communities?
2. Modeling and Analysis Tools: What hydraulic and hydrologic modeling tools are being used across the region, and how do capacity constraints (licensing, training, computational resources) create barriers? How can models better incorporate social vulnerability and green infrastructure?
3. Sensor Networks and Real-time Systems: How can local sensor networks, remote sensing, and real-time monitoring be expanded and integrated to provide more comprehensive flood information? What are the technical and resource challenges in maintaining these systems?
4. Equity: How do technical choices in data resolution, model complexity, and visualization platforms affect who can access and use flood information

People: Capacities, Resources, and Networks

We were joined by guest speakers Sheri Young (Project Director, ClimateInsight.ca, ICLEI Canada) and Haley Anderson (Climate Change Project Coordinator, ICLEI Canada), who shared insights on capacity building and climate adaptation networks. Our breakout discussions explored three interconnected components: human resources (staffing and skills), financial resources (funding streams and budget alignment), and partnerships and networks (cross-agency coordination and external collaborations). Participants shared that while some organizations have personnel with links to flood specialists or are working on risk assessments for vulnerable infrastructure, few have dedicated in-house flood data or mapping specialists. Capacity-building initiatives are emerging — including climate change fairs and mandatory climate training — though equity-focused training remains an area for development. A recurring theme was the need for a shared, regional database of shared resources and funding opportunities. Organizations are tracking funding applications for renewable energy, provincial programs, and utility incentives, but this work is often fragmented across implementation teams.