Halifax expanding Sackville river floodplain for first time in decades

Haley Ryan · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 30, 2025 9:25 AM EDT | Last Updated: 36 minutes ago

Halifax is expanding the Sackville rivers floodplain and improvement restrictions that travel with it, bringing applause from advocates but concerns from homeowners disquieted astir spot values.

On Tuesday evening, determination assembly unanimously approved projected changes to municipal planning strategies and land-use bylaws for communities on the Sackville River and Little Sackville River, including Bedford, Lower Sackville and Middle Sackville.

"[It's] agelong overdue extortion of the Sackville river system. I mean we each witnessed that flood of 2023 and the harm that did," said Coun. Billy Gillis of Lower Sackville-Beaver Bank.

This is the archetypal clip these rules person been changed successful the country since the 1980s oregon aboriginal 1990s.

The municipality has laid caller floodplain maps — a one-in-20-year representation applying to areas with a 5 per cent accidental of flooding successful immoderate fixed year, and a one-in-100-year representation applying to areas having a 1 per cent accidental of flooding — implicit archetypal boundaries from the 1980s.

Within the astir restrictive one-in-20 zone, besides called the floodway overlay, existing non-residential uses, parks, recreation, trails and parking tons are allowed. 

But successful that zone, nary structures whitethorn beryllium utilized for quality habitation. One of the effects of this would beryllium that homes considered 75 per cent destroyed, for immoderate reason, cannot beryllium rebuilt.

Maureen Ryan, Halifax planner, said radical presently surviving successful this country don't person to determination retired of their homes, which go ineligible non-conforming structures. But she said the alteration prevents aboriginal improvement that could enactment much homeowners and the waterways astatine risk.

"It's an adaptive floodplain absorption programme that would let the assemblage to evolve," Ryan said.

Within the one-in-100 zone, besides called the flood fringe overlay, existing uses similar residential improvement tin beryllium allowed if habitable floors are created supra the required flood elevation, and the operation tin withstand floods and let h2o to travel through. 

However, places that are hard to evacuate — similar shared housing, hospitals oregon daycares — would not beryllium allowed.

A fewer residents urged assembly to hold oregon reconsider the bylaw changes successful a nationalist proceeding earlier the vote. They asked to person their properties removed from the floodplain representation due to the fact that they are acrophobic astir a nonaccomplishment successful spot value, and immoderate had made elevation changes to their tons to forestall flooding.

Nick Antoft, who lives connected the Lucasville broadside of McCabe Lake, said he's hired experts to measure his ain spot and does not consciousness similar his batch should autumn wrong the caller floodplain map.

"It's frustrating because, you know, I'm 68 years aged and I'm benignant of coming up to the extremity … however does this benignant of acceptable into what we bash with the spot and the future?" Antoft said aft the meeting. 

Antoft said helium plans to stitchery different impacted residents to research a people enactment entreaty of immoderate changes to their spot assessments.

The floodplain maps are based connected a 2017 survey that was updated past twelvemonth and takes clime alteration models into account.

Walter Regan, past president of the Sackville Rivers Association, was 1 of a fewer speakers successful favour of the changes.

After the meeting, Regan said helium was "ecstatic" to spot assembly walk the changes that the relation has been pushing for since 1988.

"This was a bully triumph for the nationalist and for the Sackville river and the environment," Regan said. "This floodplain zoning volition assistance trim infrastructure costs, and assistance aboriginal radical from buying houses that should not person been built."

Regan said helium present wants to spot Halifax travel done with modern floodplain maps and improvement controls astir different rivers successful the municipality.

In 2023, Halifax did inquire the state to bargain retired homeowners successful flood-prone areas similar Union Street successful Bedford.

The state has told CBC News that the national Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangement, which Nova Scotia administers, "does not person a mechanics to let the acquisition of flooded homes."

But it mightiness not beryllium a done deal. On Tuesday, Ryan told councillors that unit are inactive having informal discussions with the province's exigency absorption bureau to find the "best mode to attack the national authorities with respect to those buyouts."

Staff said Tuesday they urge the floodplain mapping beryllium updated astatine slightest each 10 years, oregon earlier if caller accusation becomes available.

Residents can visit Halifax's online mapping tool to benignant successful their code and spot if, and where, they autumn wrong the caller floodplain areas.