National

Minister won't commit to national flood insurance program in near future

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 22 Apr, 2026 09:18 AM

Federal Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski says she can't promise the government will launch the promised National Flood Insurance Program "in the near future."

The program was first promised by former prime minister Justin Trudeau in 2019 as an affordability measure to help households in flood-prone areas.

The government didn't start working on the program until 2023 and committed to implementing it by the end of 2025.

Olszewski told reporters on Tuesday it's still "top of mind" but it's a complicated program to set up.

Communities in several provinces were under flood warnings Tuesday and areas near Sudbury, Ont., and Gatineau, Que., declared states of emergency.

A 2022 report by Canada's Task Force on Flood Insurance and Relocation estimated the average annual cost of residential flooding in Canada at $2.97 billion.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Trudeau says Canada will push back on U.S. tariffs with Trump administration

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday Ottawa will work to convince U.S. President Donald Trump that his "unacceptable" steel and aluminum tariffs will hurt both countries. A senior government official said that Trudeau spoke with U.S. Vice-President JD Vance about the impact steel tariffs would have in Ohio, which Vance previously represented in the U.S. Senate.

Trudeau says Canada will push back on U.S. tariffs with Trump administration

Canada's privacy czar launches investigation into student information data breach

The federal privacy watchdog says he has launched a formal investigation into a cybersecurity breach involving a student information system used across Canada. Privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne says the probe was launched after his office received a breach report from U.S.-based PowerSchool, which provides the affected software, and a complaint about the incident.

Canada's privacy czar launches investigation into student information data breach

Leger poll: Carney as leader would have Liberals tied with Conservatives

A new poll suggests that if Mark Carney wins the Liberal leadership race, he would erase the massive lead the Conservatives have enjoyed for the past year and a half. A Leger survey suggests a Carney-led party would boost Liberal support by six points to 37 per cent, putting them in a dead heat with the Tories.

Leger poll: Carney as leader would have Liberals tied with Conservatives

B.C. elementary music teacher suspended after child pornography charge

A Vancouver Island school district says an elementary school teacher has been charged with accessing child pornography. Court records show the man faces a charge for an offence alleged to have been committed last March in Central Saanich, B.C.

B.C. elementary music teacher suspended after child pornography charge

Teens body recovered after fall through ice on B.C.'s Shuswap Lake

The body of an 18-year-old man has been recovered from Shuswap Lake in British Columbia's Interior after he fell through the ice over the weekend. Police say in a statement that the RCMP's underwater recovery team found the teen's body on Monday.

Teens body recovered after fall through ice on B.C.'s Shuswap Lake

David Eby joins Canadian premiers on trip to U.S. to speak to lawmakers about tariffs

British Columbia Premier David Eby says he believes the recent tariff friction with the United States will fundamentally change the way Canadians approach trade with their southern neighbours, and things "will never go back to the way that we were before."