June 4, 2026 — A federal auditor says Ottawa has been too slow to produce the flood hazard maps needed to support climate adaptation, leaving communities, infrastructure and public safety exposed as flood risk grows.

In a report released in May, Jerry DeMarco, commissioner of the environment and sustainable development, said Natural Resources Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada and Public Safety Canada did not ensure the timely production of effective flood hazard maps.

He said an audit found many maps were still incomplete and that much of the existing flood hazard information was not practical or actionable for users.

The commission found that about 80% of highly populated areas in Canada are located at least partly in flood hazard zones, while the federal government spent an average of about $230m annually on post-flood relief from 2016 to 2025.

Natural Resources Canada committed to mapping 200 higher-risk areas by 2028, but the audit found the department did not track whether projects were covering the priority areas identified in a 2022 analysis.

As of Dec. 31 only 64 of 131 mapping projects underway, or 49%, included those higher- risk priority areas. And only 11 projects, or 8%, had been posted to the Canada Flood Map Inventory.

The commissioner also found Public Safety Canada missed its deadline to release Canada- wide flood risk ratings through a public flood risk awareness portal by the end of 2025.

Mr. DeMarco said the portal, which is still being developed, does not incorporate climate change and relies on proprietary vendor data that the department cannot adjust to reflect changing conditions.

“Canadians face escalating risks and higher disaster recovery costs in the absence of up-to-date information,” he said.

Public Safety Canada said late last month it has completed technical development for a Flood Risk Finder, setting the stage for what the government said will be the country’s first national public source of flood hazard and risk information (Thompson’s, last week).

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