By Staff
July 22nd, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
There appear to be slightly different messages out on just what is available to residents who had their homes flooded.
Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte said in her note to her residents that:
Halton Region has announced a $1,000 Ex Gratia Grant for Public Sewer Backup, which can help eligible residents to offset the cost of an insurance deductible or help with flooding-related costs that are not otherwise covered under their home insurance policy.
The City of Burlington has also announced an Ex Gratia Grant, which will provide $1,000 to residents with confirmed residential flooding that are not eligible for the Halton Region Ex Gratia Grant for Public Sewer Backup.
To be assessed for eligibility for the applicable grant, residents must report home flooding to Halton Region at 311. If this has not already been done, it must be done immediately.
Councillor Lisa Kearns who provided a lengthy but very detailed list of what was available in terms of support and services didn’t mention that the City Ex Gratia Grant might not be available
We have had very little luck in getting responses to our requests for clarification from the City Communications people. We will ask around and see what we can learn.
Very good advice Joe. Don’t take everythng the Region delegation (one of the “folks the mayor wanted to hear from” who she got the procedural by-law waived to give them as much time as they wanted). Those who were victims of the flood who we had suggested get 10 minutes rather than 5 were kept to the five minutes.
From past experience we are alwys leery of those the Mayor brings in to speak and answer questions. Sad isn’t it to be so suspicious but we have been burnt many times in the past and have tried to be a little more selective in what we believe spoken from the lectern, if called to the lectern by the Mayor rather than simply requesting to delegate for the best interests of the comunity.
Anyone who is having difficulty with their insurance company covering the cost of flood reparations might contact their MP and ask how the decision on a national flood insurance policy is coming along after the August 2022 report. The Insurance Bureau has been raising concern over the inability of the private sector to deal with the climate change issues but the Federal Government, after reviewing how other countries have handled this, still hasn’t come up with a plan.
These tiny grants from the region relative to dealing with the logistics of a flood and the overall cost of repair make them lower the priority. Still reporting the flooding is important to draw attention to the real issues which can only be assessed by understanding the problem.
It is clear that downstream is an issue and preservation of stormwater retention systems upstream such as the Millcroft greenspace and its series of stormwater ponds is critical infrastructure. The creeks flow south east from the escarpment so one can only imagine how much worse it could be in Wards 4 and 5 if the golf course is developed. But this is now a Premier Ford issue. Apparently, Burlington is not part of his nation.
Ex gratia comes with a caveat emptor, meaning before you take the money make sure you don’t relinquish your opportunity to go after either or both COB or Halton if it is found that they were negligent in some manner. In a sense they are both fiduciaries when it comes to ensuring the fixes from the 2014 water event were taken seriously and acted upon in a responsable and timely manner.