Why Ontario is experiencing more floods — and what we can do about it

How can we limit damage from disasters like the 2024 Toronto floods? In this explainer video, we highlight some pretty useful solutions to our water problems

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Last summer, southern Ontario was rocked by massive floods that led to more than $1 billion in damages.

It was the type of disaster that unfortunately could become increasingly familiar as the risk of flooding rises with climate change.

But there are solutions at hand. I caught up with Ontario reporter Fatima Syed — who “literally watched water come up through the drain” in the parking lot of her Mississauga residence — to learn about how we can better plan for a world with more severe weather events.

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Video source notes
Corresponding time stampSource
0:08CBC News: The National on 2024 Greater Toronto Area floods
0:10CTV News on 2024 Greater Toronto Area floods
0:13Global News on 2024 Greater Toronto Area floods
0:16CBC News Toronto on 2024 Greater Toronto Area floods
0:28Premier Doug Ford’s backyard flooding
0:50Causes and effects of climate change
1:24Cost of damage after 2024 southern Ontario floods
2:20Floodplains
3:22Rouge National Urban Park
3:58Toronto Star – Hurricane Hazel archive
4:122015 map of Ontario’s Conservation Authorities
4:28Narwhal Story 1
4:30Narwhal Story 2
4:36Narwhal Story 3
4:47Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Another year of keeping a close watch
Here at The Narwhal, we don’t use profit, awards or pageviews to measure success. The thing that matters most is real-world impact — evidence that our reporting influenced citizens to hold power to account and pushed policymakers to do better.

And in 2024, our stories were raised in parliaments across the country and cited by citizens in their petitions and letters to politicians.

In Alberta, our reporting revealed Premier Danielle Smith made false statements about the controversial renewables pause. In Manitoba, we proved that officials failed to formally inspect a leaky pipeline for years. And our investigations on a leaked recording of TC Energy executives were called “the most important Canadian political story of the year.”

We’d like to thank you for paying attention. And if you’re able to donate anything at all to help us keep doing this work in 2025 — which will bring a whole lot we can’t predict — thank you so very much.

Will you help us hold the powerful accountable in the year to come by giving what you can today?
Another year of keeping a close watch
Here at The Narwhal, we don’t use profit, awards or pageviews to measure success. The thing that matters most is real-world impact — evidence that our reporting influenced citizens to hold power to account and pushed policymakers to do better.

And in 2024, our stories were raised in parliaments across the country and cited by citizens in their petitions and letters to politicians.

In Alberta, our reporting revealed Premier Danielle Smith made false statements about the controversial renewables pause. In Manitoba, we proved that officials failed to formally inspect a leaky pipeline for years. And our investigations on a leaked recording of TC Energy executives were called “the most important Canadian political story of the year.”

We’d like to thank you for paying attention. And if you’re able to donate anything at all to help us keep doing this work in 2025 — which will bring a whole lot we can’t predict — thank you so very much.

Will you help us hold the powerful accountable in the year to come by giving what you can today?

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