The growing need to update Canada’s infrastructure
Extreme weather events highlight the need for modern and wellmaintained infrastructure assets.
Katrina and Sandy are no longer just names; they are now synonymous with devastating natural disasters. The images of downtown New Orleans under metres of water or a rollercoaster sitting upright in the Atlantic Ocean off the New Jersey shore have left indelible images of the force and power of extreme weather events. As the recent Alberta floods demonstrated once again, the frequency and severity of these once-in-a-lifetime storms seem to be increasing, and how societies respond will govern prosperity for years to come.
The life blood of society
As has been well documented, modern and well-maintained infrastructure is the lifeblood of any society. Unfortunately, many of the infrastructure assets upon which cities now depend were not designed with extreme storms in mind. The result, perhaps unsurprisingly, is the overwhelming of these assets and their potential failure when extreme weather strikes. Residents, businesses and governments are then left with the tremendous human and financial costs to manage.
Over the past 20 years, property damage related to flooding has been increasing. The Insurance Bureau of Canada last fall stated that “the Canadian insurance industry has seen substantial increases in property claims costs, partly as a result of infrastructure that was never designed to cope with the weather trends we are seeing today.” A report by the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy reached the same conclusions suggesting that the economic impact of climate change could cost Canadians nearly $5 billion annually by 2020, and between $21 to $43 billion per year by 2050.
Moving forward
So, what can governments do to minimize these costs and reduce the impact of these storms on society? As a first step, governments need to get smarter about where and under what conditions development is permitted in floodplains,or areas vulnerable to natural disasters. The risks severe weather present to human health and property are too high to justify ongoing development in these areas.
Secondly, governments must implement new infrastructure design specifications to account for the changing climate, and, importantly, ensure money is available for preventative measures and to retrofit existing assets to these new standards. Adopting these practices will ensure that the assets continue to function as designed during those times when we need them most.
Finally, we need a change in political attitudes toward capital asset maintenance, which always seem to be the first items cut in difficult financial circumstances. Well-maintained assets, such as a road or bridge, are far less prone to failure than those under stress due to improper or inadequate maintenance.
A needed investment
Although these ideas may require a shift in approach, the old adage continues to hold true: an ounce of prevention isworth a pound of cure.While some of these measures maybe expensive,any increase will be minimal and pale in comparison to the actual costs of managing the consequences of extreme storms after the fact.