In June 2013, southern Alberta experienced one of the most devastating flood events in its history. Heavy rainfall caused the Elbow and Bow Rivers to overflow, flooding millions of square metres of residential and commercial land across Calgary and neighbouring communities. The disaster resulted in over $5 billion in damage, widespread evacuations and long-lasting impacts on infrastructure, homes, and communities along Calgary’s river valleys.
In the aftermath of the flood, the Government of Alberta introduced a voluntary buyout program aimed at reducing long-term risk in areas most vulnerable to future flood events. The goal was to purchase residential properties in designated high-risk floodways so that homes would be removed and the land returned to a pre-development or natural state. Homeowners were offered the opportunity to sell their properties to the province — including many along Calgary’s Elbow River — with most structures later demolished.
In total, the province purchased 17 riverfront properties in Calgary located in affluent inner-city neighbourhoods such as Roxboro, Elbow Park and Rideau Park. The homes on these lots were removed in 2015, and the vacant parcels have remained undeveloped for more than a decade.
The buyout program was voluntary; homeowners had the choice to participate or stay and repair their properties. Only a portion of eligible owners accepted the buyouts at the time, but those who did saw their flood-damaged properties acquired and cleared by the government as part of a broader flood-risk management strategy.
Since the buyouts were initiated, significant investment has been made in flood mitigation infrastructure both upstream and within the city — including improvements to the Springbank Off-stream Reservoir and enhancements to the Glenmore Reservoir — aimed at reducing the impact of future major flood events in Calgary.
In 2025, the Alberta government announced it is preparing to put the 17 vacant riverfront lots it acquired after the 2013 flood back on the market, with listings expected to begin in early 2026. These parcels, which have sat empty since the demolition of flood-impacted homes, are being readied for sale at fair market value as residential land — continuing to support single-family development, similar to how they were used before the flood.
I have applied to be the listing agent for the 6 newly released properties in Roxboro and I will be following these developments to see how this progresses as this will be an exciting acquisition.
