A new study of neighbourhoods affected by flooding, conducted by Statistics Canada, examines the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of areas that have experienced flooding between 2016 and 2021. It also seeks to determine if communities affected by flooding have in turn witnessed changes in socio-economic deprivation following flooding events.

The report, The intersection of flooding and deprivation: A study of neighbourhoods, says during the study period, 4,829 neighbourhoods in Canada flooded. “These same neighbourhoods were often repeatedly affected by flooding, with 41 per cent of flooded areas experiencing two or more floods within the study period,” they write.

They say rural areas were most susceptible to flooding, with almost half of flooded areas being located outside of population centres. “Looking at it another way, more than one-fifth (22 per cent) of rural areas were affected by floods, compared to 4.8 per cent of areas in large urban centres. Rural areas were also more likely to experience multiple years of flooding, with nine per cent of rural dissemination areas affected for more than one year during the study period.” 

Manitoba hit the hardest 

They add that 32.7 per cent of neighbourhoods in Manitoba were affected by floods within the study period – 3.5 times higher than the national average of 9.3 per cent. In New Brunswick, 17.6 per cent of neighbourhoods were affected by multiple years of flooding.

The report observes no significant differences in flooding across income quintiles, they add. “Over time, experiences of flooding generally did not have a notable impact on before-tax income. There were two exceptions: Alberta and Manitoba.” They say flooding in these two provinces corresponded with drops in before-tax income between 2016 and 2021. 

Increased vulnerability 

Communities characterized by residential instability, meanwhile, were not at a greater risk of flooding. “In the post-recovery period, flooded communities, regardless of pre-flood economic deprivation, saw evidence of economic improvements. This was most pronounced in large, urban centres.” In contrast, the average economic dependency increased during the study period in urban areas that were not affected by flooding.

That said, they add that neighbourhoods saw increased vulnerability in other ways following a flood. “Although residential instability was not associated with an increased risk of flooding, it was found to increase after a flooding event, primarily in rural areas,” they write. The same instability was not observed in urban centres.