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Our Story
ORFA is a collaborative grassroots initiative which includes a variety of riverfront folks and concerned citizens.We're trying to address the recurrence of flooding along the Ottawa River Basin and its tributaries.
Our group came together following the spring flood of 2023, mostly online through existing social media sites and Zoom calls.
After suffering through three "One Hundred Year" floods in the last six years, without appropriate recourse or viable methods of consultation, we started sharing our questions and concerns. In the decades prior to 2017, catastrophic flooding of such levels was rare. We feel that something has changed since 2017, and many of us have been looking into the details of our River management and its history.​
We come from various regions, on both sides of the River, and have different life experiences and skills to bring to the table. We operate as a non-hierarchical team, sharing responsibilities and tasks according to individual expertise and abilities. Some of us are permanent residents, some are long-time cottagers, some are business owners, and all of us are deeply concerned about the flooding events since 2017.
Policies geared toward the economic gains of major stakeholders and corporations at the expense of others, and an obvious shifting of priorities, have negatively impacted property values, mental health, physical wellness, and financial situations of many Ontario and Quebec waterfront owners and their families.​
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Waterfront property and business owners are not denying climate change, and are not simply looking for bailouts. We are advocating for fairness, transparency and accountability from our elected officials and corporate leaders, both at the provincial and federal levels with respect to repeated flooding since 2017.
As a group, we've decided that ORFA would provide a platform for:
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collaboration and advocacy
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information and document sharing
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coordinated action among stakeholders to prevent and mitigate flooding
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enhancement of preparedness initiatives
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support of sustainable flood and climate change management strategies​
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