A local MPP is introducing a bill that will help future flood victims.
Essex MPP Taras Natyshak will introduce the bill in the legislature on Thursday.
"This is a full package of mitigation policies that acknowledge that we are in an area and an era of higher weather patterns and higher intensity given the nature of our changing climate," says Natyshak.
The bill has three main components. The first part will stop insurance companies from dropping residents when they experience flood during an event that is declared an emergency by the province.
"Once that designation is made through the ministry that would be the trigger in which an insurance company couldn't cancel a home owners insurance policy because of that flood event," says Natyshak.
The second part of the bill would introduce new rules to the Ontario Building Code that would make it mandatory for new residential homes to have rain barrels.
"As a collective, if we did that it would have the potential to avoid that back flow of water coming through our municipal system into people's homes. There have been pilot projects that have given us the evidence that this actually works," says Natyshak.
The final part of the bill would make public the information the insurance companies use to determine the areas at high risk for flooding. This would give new home buyers more information when purchasing a home.
If the Flood Recovery Assistance For Ontarians Act passes second reading it will be debated by committees before it is enacted.