01-40_WC_149_JUL-AUG26_PT - Flipbook - Page 33
STORMWATER
Climate-ready
When it comes to smart blue roofs are
regulations keeping pace? BY DIMA BALAA
Credit Valley Conservation
C
LIMATE CHANGE is reshaping precipitation patterns globally and across Canada.
Rainfall is increasingly characterized by
short, intense storms rather than steady
events, significantly elevating flood risks
in urban areas. As cities search for ways to adapt,
green infrastructure has emerged as a promising
solution. Tools such as bioswales, green roofs, and
blue roofs are gradually being incorporated into
planning strategies and policy frameworks.
For years, the inclusion of green roofs in
Toronto’s Green Roof Bylaw under Bill 60 signaled
meaningful progress. Adopted in 2009, the bylaw
required new industrial, commercial, institutional,
and residential developments larger than 2,000 m²
to incorporate green roofs. While blue roofs were
not explicitly mandated, the policy helped normalize
rooftop stormwater management. However, the
repeal of this bylaw by the Ontario government in
October 2025 marked a step backward for many
researchers and practitioners who had hoped similar
policy momentum would extend to blue roofs.
Despite this setback, developers still have the option
to install blue roofs and may benefit from doing so
in the long run.
Dima Balaa is a PhD candidate and
a Geoffrey F. Bruce Fellow in the
Environmental Applied Science and
Management program at Toronto
Metropolitan University
WATERCANADA.NE T
Toronto Metropolitan University Environmental Applied Science and Management PhD
candidate Dima Balaa collects samples from a rooftop.
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