The Montreal Metropolitan Community (CMM) is criticizing the Quebec government for delaying the publication of the new flood zone maps and asks that they come into force on Saturday as scheduled. The CMM has been working with the Ministry of the Environment, Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks (MELCCFP) for several years to update the flood zone maps within its territory in accordance with a new regulatory framework and methodology laid out by the government following record-breaking floods that hit the province in 2017, 2019, and 2023. The first set of maps, covering areas along the Mille Îles River, the Prairies River, Lake des Deux Montagnes, Lake Saint-Louis, the St. Lawrence River, the Saint-Régis River and the Saint-Pierre Rivere were scheduled to be released in spring 2026. Ministry delays publication However, email exchanges between CMM and the ministry sent to CTV News show the ministry postponed publication of the maps twice. The ministry told CMM in an email the maps would be published July 25 and then Aug. 1. Now, the ministry says it has been postponed to an unspecified date. “Due to circumstances beyond our control, the publication has been postponed to a later date, which has not yet been determined. We will contact you as soon as a new deadline has been set,” the email to CMM says. According to the CMM, 11 municipalities located in the first set of maps that were supposed to come into effect have flood defences on their territory and have 24 months to have them recognized. Delaying publication would delay the studies and actions required to obtain this recognition, the CMM says. “We really want to remove all of the uncertainty and confusion, so that the new flood maps will finally be made public, and we could move forward with the other steps, like working on adaptation and resiliency with the different cities, said Brent Edwards, head of flood risk management at the CMM. According to the CMM, publication of these maps would allow municipalities to implement various measures, including performance assessment of dykes and other protective structures, identifying improvements, preparing plans and specifications, issuing calls for tenders, adapting buildings and infrastructure, and supporting funding applications. “We’ve been actively working on the flood maps with the government, with the municipalities, and basically the information exists, and we’d like it to become publicly available just to eliminate all of the confusion surrounding the flood maps and uncertainty,” Edwards said. Clarity for residents Denis Martin, mayor of the City of Deux-Montagnes, a municipality that was affected by the floods, says the mapping reduces uncertainty among residents. “Maintaining the Aug. 1 deadline would finally provide municipalities with the tools they need to take concrete action to reduce risks, protect living environments and provide adequate support to their residents,” the mayor wrote in a statement. The Quebec government commissioned CMM to map the waterways and flood zones of the metropolitan region, which includes 14 water bodies. It began flood zone mapping following the 2019 floods. Since the adoption of the Flood Protection Plan (PPTFI) in 2019, the Quebec government has been working to develop a new methodology, which was formalized with the approval of a Methodological Guide in 2025. Before this, certain areas of the Montreal area didn’t have flood zone maps for their territories, and a standardized methodology was not in place. Currently, older maps remain in use until new maps are published. CTV News reached out to the ministry for a comment but received no response.
