Exploring the Use of Managed Retreat in Canada's Policy Domain

Abstract

The use of managed retreat is growing and will continue to evolve within Canada’s policy domain to better adapt to the realities of climate change. Climate induced managed retreat involves the strategic relocation of people, assets and critical infrastructure from high-risk areas via the use of government funded property acquisitions (buyouts). Amid increased flood risks and rising recovery costs, communities in Canada have recognized that conventional approaches to flood risk management (FRM) are no longer sustainable and will require the use of practical policy solutions, such as managed retreat, that are cost-effective, politically viable, and publicly accepted. Given the growing adaptation deficit in municipalities, there is an inherent need to identify the policy gaps and barriers to implementation, analyze the policy levers, and explore opportunities for future managed retreat policy and program development.

Rooted in the climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction literature, this dissertation explores the theoretical tenets of FRM, particularly the lack of alignment between flood risk governance, risk reduction and risk prevention through the empirical application of post-disaster managed retreat policies in Canadian communities. The current policy discourse in Canada focuses on the development of a subsidized national flood insurance program whilst provincial jurisdictions like British Columbia (BC) are contending with how to amend existing disaster and emergency management policies to effectively integrate community led managed retreat. Similarly, provinces like Quebec have significantly advanced in their progress and have implemented multiple buyout cycles as part of their disaster financial assistance programs. By analyzing multiple case studies across different timeframes during their recovery process, this dissertation investigates the complex post-disaster decision-making process amongst different levels of government and explores potential pathways towards building climate resiliency. Through three interrelated qualitative studies, this research documents the development, application and implementation of managed retreat buyout programming and its wider implications for communities.

The findings suggest that flood disasters often act as focusing events and open policy windows during the post disaster recovery stage providing an avenue for renewed disaster recovery discussions including the use of managed retreat as a policy tool which may not be politically justifiable in a proactive context. A case study analysis critically documents the recovery process by analyzing municipal perspectives on managed retreat and flood mitigation signaling a shift from a hazards-based to a risk-informed approach in Merritt, Canada after the 2021 flood disaster. Moreover, existing path dependencies and outdated disaster policies can favour recovery decisions and limit the types of mitigation measures that are considered by jurisdictions. Likewise, the development of a buyout program for flood mitigation purposes should account for design considerations that include community led and pricing methodologies that follow an equity-based approach. While the use of buyouts is an important tool to become climate resilient, partially retreated communities must strategically develop land use plans that reconcile the benefits of floodplain restoration and provide recreational spaces for public use. A longitudinal study analyzes the institutional alignment of provincial buyouts policies and regulatory tools in Gatineau, Canada, five years after the Quebec Spring 2019 floods.

In broader terms, this dissertation ascertains that in the face of surging disaster costs and conflicting governmental priorities, the use of managed retreat will continue to grow and evolve within the Canadian policy arena as a viable climate adaptation and risk reduction strategy. As a result, this critique presents novel approaches for evaluating managed retreat policies to minimize the negative impacts on communities whilst maximizing the co-benefits. Moreover, this dissertation makes key contributions to the managed retreat literature by linking the topics of flood risk governance, flood risk management, and applied policy. The research provides valuable insights for policymakers on buyout policy development, program implementation, and long-term land use plans for communities in Canada.