City of Brampton secures substantial federal funding towards Downtown Brampton Flood Protection Project

​BRAMPTON, ON (November 18, 2020) – Today, the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, joined area MPs and Members of City Council, to announce that the City of Brampton will receive more than $38 million towards flood mitigation in downtown Brampton, moving the City one step closer to realizing its Riverwalk project.

The City’s application Downtown Brampton Flood Protection Project has been approved by the Government of Canada. This approval comes following the successful review of the project under the terms and conditions of the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund (DMAF).

Key elements of this project will aim to widen a 600 metre concrete channel through downtown Brampton, replace bridges and raise roadways. The current channel, built in 1952, will be widened and deepened to increase Etobicoke Creek capacity levels, bridges in the project area will be replaced with larger span structures and higher roadways will prevent flooding into urban areas.

Federal funding of the project from the DMAF will be up to 40 per cent of the total eligible project costs, to a maximum federal contribution of $38,852,397.

Riverwalk is a transformational initiative that will unlock the economic potential of downtown Brampton. In September 2020, the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks gave approval to the Downtown Brampton Flood Protection Environment Assessment, which identified an engineering solution to reduce the existing flooding risk in the area and to help address the provincial planning restrictions currently in place.

A complementary open space plan for Riverwalk is also currently being developed. The Riverwalk Area Urban Design Master Plan is an open space master plan that will develop concepts for the aesthetic treatment of the flood infrastructure, the open space system along the valley, integration of active transportation network, environment and economic sustainability, public health issues and programming, and implementation of the overall vision for Riverwalk.

About Riverwalk
Downtown Brampton lies within the Etobicoke Creek floodplain. Provincial policies around hazard management have so far restricted the type and amount of development that can occur there today. Riverwalk is a two-part solution to removing the flood risks and creating a new, open urban space that will help revitalize Brampton’s downtown and make it healthy, sustainable and resilient.

With the removal of the existing flood risk and the future removal of restrictions on planning and development in downtown Brampton, the Riverwalk envisions a remade Etobicoke Creek through the area, surrounded by public spaces and parks connected by the Etobicoke Creek valley corridor and a trail system. It is expected to unlock 3.6 million square feet of residential, commercial and retail space in the downtown, creating more than 23,000 jobs and a $1.4 billion impact on the GDP.

For more information on Riverwalk visit www.brampton.ca/riverwalk

Click here to read the full media release.