The same week southern Vancouver Island was hit by an intense atmospheric river, the Town of Sidney began considering a new flood adaptation plan, to avoid flooding in the future.
The Capital Regional District (CRD) initially launched a research initiative between 2019 and 2021 to help inform municipalities and First Nations on risks of flooding along the coast.
In 2023, Sidney initiated the Enhanced Flood Inundation Modelling and Mapping project to develop a more detailed and localized flood mapping and risk assessment.
During the December 8th committee of the whole meeting, Town staff presented a report to council on the findings of this process.
In these results, new wind and wave data were presented, after the data was collected by using offshore monitoring buoys, and advanced modelling was used to assess the 8.5-kilometre shoreline.
The results showed that flood risk varies by location.
Council ultimately asked staff to report back on the potential establishment of a Flood Construction Level Bylaw to help mitigate flooding.
Additionally, as part of the 2026 Budget, council will consider whether to move forward with the development of a Coastal Flood Hazard Mitigation and Adaptation Plan, which could be funded in part through grants.
These matters were given the final green light in the December 15th council meeting in a unanimous vote.
Mayor Cliff McNeil-Smith says this process will take up to two years to develop and implement.
