Thursday, October 23, 2025
The City of Toronto is proposing major updates to its Basement Flooding Protection Subsidy Program (BFPSP) to help residents better protect their homes from flooding during extreme weather events.
Mayor Olivia Chow announced the proposed enhancements on Tuesday, which are set to go before the Infrastructure and Environment Committee later this month and Toronto City Council in November. If approved, the changes could take effect as early as May 1, 2026.
The expanded program follows a review conducted after the heavy rainstorms of July and August 2024, which caused basement flooding in more than 1,000 homes across the city. City staff gathered public feedback on how to strengthen existing supports and developed new incentives to help homeowners reduce stormwater runoff and basement flooding risks.
The proposed updates to the BFPSP include:
- Increasing the maximum subsidy per property from $3,400 to $6,650.
- Raising subsidy amounts for backwater valves and sump pumps by 28 per cent to account for inflation and market costs.
- Introducing a Home Plumbing Assessment subsidy to help homeowners identify internal plumbing issues contributing to basement flooding.
- Allowing a second backwater valve subsidy for homes with multiple sewer connections.
- Adding a $300 subsidy for sump pump battery backup systems, including retrofits.
- Extending the application window from one year to two years after eligible work is completed.
Established in 2007, the BFPSP offers eligible residential property owners financial assistance for installing flood protection measures that mitigate sewer backups and reduce flood risk during severe storms. Since its inception, the program has received about 59,000 applications and issued nearly $86 million in subsidies, with approximately 14 per cent of Toronto’s residential properties having participated.
“Sump pumps and backwater valves might be the last thing on the mind for a family struggling to make ends meet, but a flood in your basement can be devastating,” said Mayor Olivia Chow. “The Enhanced Basement Protection Subsidy Program will get homeowners up to $6,650 so they can afford to protect their homes and their families from the next big storm.”
The proposed expansion is part of the City’s broader stormwater management strategy, which aims to strengthen flood resilience as climate change increases the frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall in the region.
