Feds behind schedule on flood hazard mapping, auditor general says

Auditor General Karen Hogan is seen during a news conference in Ottawa, Monday, March 23, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA — Canada’s auditor general says federal efforts to map parts of the country that face the highest risk of flooding are not on track to finish by the 2028 target date and don’t account for the effects of climate change.

In one of five reports released today, Auditor General Karen Hogan looked into the Liberal government’s plan to create flood hazard maps and make them available to the public.

The report found that the flood risk awareness portal under development at the Department of Public Safety does not consider how climate change is affecting flood patterns.

The audit also looked at efforts to map high-risk flood areas at the Department of Natural Resources.

While that department identified 200 areas at high risk of flooding in 2022, today less than half of the maps include those high-risk flood zones.

Hogan recommends creating user-friendly, interactive flood maps to ensure people can prepare, and says the government needs to work with provinces and territories to monitor high-risk areas.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 4, 2026.

The Canadian Press