Montreal residents asked to do their part to prevent flooding during heavy rainfall

The City of Montreal says it is trying to reduce the risk of flooding during heavy rain events with plans for a new retention basin among other measures.

But residents are also being asked to do their part.

Mike Zappia, a resident on La Durantaye Street in Saint-Leonard, is now working on his third basement renovation following a flood.

Homes frequently flood there during heavy rain.

“It always goes to my garage. It goes to the kitchen. It goes everywhere. Every time there’s a rainstorm, I get flooded,” he told CTV News.

He says he’s frustrated as the storm sewer on his street hasn’t been improved.

Saint-Leonard borough mayor Dominic Perri says the city is continuing to build sponge parks to help direct rainwater away from homes. The city has announced nearly $70 million to build the Saint-Jacques retention basin.

It’s also looking into expanding the Langelier water collector in Saint-Leonard. Alan DeSousa, who is in charge of infrastructure for Montreal’s executive committee, says the city is doing more to respond to heavy rain storms that are increasing in frequency.

“We’ve got needs on water that total close to $15 billion in the next 10 years. So it’s definitely not just water collectors, but a lot of our water infrastructure,” said DeSousa.

The city has also increased its “renoplex” subsidies by $2 million for those adapting their homes to prevent flooding. In June, Saint-Leonard will offer workshops on flood prevention.

“Climate change is here to stay, it’s not getting better, it’s getting worse, and therefore we all have to do our part, Perri said.

But Zappia feels he’s done enough and he says his insurance rates keep going up.