> I recognize the American mindset of independence is different than the Canadian one of interdependence.
You're not the only Canadian here, bud. ;- )
> However you are not allowed to die for making this decision. Emergency services have to be spent rescuing you.
That's really the problem here. It needs to be possible to bargain access to these services, or pay for them at a higher rate. The homeowner must be directly exposed to the cost of living in a floodplain and having rescue workers come to them.
We do that with fire services and police services. However that is because the risk is not really loss of life, just property.
We decided as society that human life is not cheap and disposable. And while I recognize that argument begs the question.. that "we as society" may or may not include an individual who may disagree, the heart of the point is the individual isn't patamouny to how the world works.
You're not the only Canadian here, bud. ;- )
> However you are not allowed to die for making this decision. Emergency services have to be spent rescuing you.
That's really the problem here. It needs to be possible to bargain access to these services, or pay for them at a higher rate. The homeowner must be directly exposed to the cost of living in a floodplain and having rescue workers come to them.