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While the economic costs were huge, the cost to individuals was great as well. Five lives were lost in southern Alberta, including Calgarian Lorraine Gerlitz. We cannot ever forget that. Those whose homes and belongings were destroyed have also been deeply impacted and many who live in flood zones experience real fear and anxiety each spring.

Much progress has been made within the city’s boundaries to ensure community-level risk mitigation is in place but significant risks upstream remain. The historical record is clear; Calgary experienced floods in 1879, 1897 and 1902 similar in size to 2013. The question isn’t if we’ll see another flood like 2013 — it’s when will we see another flood that size.

Technical and engineering work began immediately after the 2013 flood, taking a comprehensive, scientific approach to evaluating potential solutions. The results were clear and subsequently validated by numerous outside experts. Major mitigation must include new gates on the Glenmore dam, a project now nearing completion, which addresses 20 per cent of the flood risk on the Elbow River. The construction of the Springbank off-stream reservoir is required for the other 80 per cent. On the Bow River, at least one upstream reservoir is required, along with a long-term agreement with TransAlta, community barriers and drainage works to protect our communities.

There seems to be an emerging consensus from the party leaders that the Springbank off-stream reservoir is the best choice on the Elbow River. On March 22, we saw the NDP announce $1 billion in funding for upstream mitigation on the Bow River. This is good news and we certainly look forward to responses from all the parties on this critical infrastructure. But the bottom line is, beyond commitments, we need quick and decisive action on flood mitigation from our provincial leaders — no matter who they are.