CANADA: REBUILD OR RELOCATE? DEVASTATING ALBERTA FLOODS....

Rebuild or relocate? Devastating Alberta floods have some wondering if it’s time to move communities off floodplains

Jen Gerson | 13/07/14 | Last Updated: 13/07/14 3:29 PM ET

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A flooded neighbourhood in High River, Alta., Saturday, June 29, 2013.

Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian PressA flooded neighbourhood in High River, Alta., Saturday, June 29, 2013.

So far, only a dozen people have signed the petition asking the Alberta government to direct flood relief to moving homes and businesses off floodplains.

“What we need to do is have people living in those areas and working in those areas go and live upland,” said Dave Dougherty, a retired scientist who said he remains baffled by governments’ development decisions.

“It’s quite clear that that’s what we’re going to have to do,” he said. “I think you would have to move half the city.”

It’s an extreme position, but as the flood waters leave billions of dollars in damage in their wake, some Albertans are increasingly questioning how — and even whether — to rebuild their homes and businesses. Some of the critics, such as Mr. Dougherty, object to funnelling thousands of taxpayer dollars to replace the homes that line Calgary’s Bow and Elbow Rivers. The idea of millionaires receiving government aid money rankles, even though damage to elite properties represents a small minority; last month’s unprecedented flood washed out whole neighbourhoods — including high rises and middle-class and working-class homes. Additionally, half the city’s dense downtown core was inundated, flooding office towers, roads, electrical substations and even the Stampede grounds.