By Pepper Parr
August 10th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Mayor Meed Ward, like almost everyone in the city, realized there was a need for a fund they could use to help people who were in serious financial difficulty as a result of the flooding.
The approximately 65mm of rain on July 16, 2024 led to the flooding of 1288 homes in Burlington, some of which experienced significant damage, causing unexpected financial hardship for many.
It became clear that Burlington lacked a centralized resource for both the intake of charitable donations and for the distribution of support.
Thus the discussion on how to establish a fund.
The Motion put forward by the Mayor was moved by Councillors Bentivegna, seconded by Councillor Sharman.
The Mayor, who was chairing the Special meeting of Council, asked if there are any questions of myself as the author or of staff.
Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte
Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte had a question for City CAO Hassaan Basit:
“How much time and effort do you think would be required to pull together this report for October 7, and what other priorities would have to be back Bernard in order to make that happen?”
Probing questions tend to come from Councillors Kearns and Stolte. Kearns was away at a Police Services Bard event – she is a member of that Board.
CAO Basit responds:
Looking at the direction, Councillor I think the intent here is to present some high level options:
CAO Hassaan Basit: There isn’t a lot of effort required to do that.
What is the feasibility of this?
What are some high level criteria?
What could be some different models to give Council some option?
Does the city seed some funding?
Is it totally community generated?
Do we hold the funds until an Emergency happens, and then transfer it.
“There isn’t a lot of effort required to do that. If the direction was to come up with a fully baked program with all sorts of criteria, and then then, yes, that would be problematic to deliver by October 7th. To present some options and alternatives to Council where it would be narrowed down we can then discuss how long it’ll take. It would require legal, financial, lots of resources to go into it to fulfill this, to bring some high level options, some things for consideration, we should be able to manage it.”
Stolte then asks the Mayor: Is that your understanding high level? The mayor nods – she agrees.
Councillor Nissan: Yes, similar, similar questions. “So as you and staff go through options and recommendations what are you going to tell us? Will you tell us if it’s a good idea, before you go ahead and tell us how to how you want to do it, or will you potentially provide alternatives that would achieve the objectives of Council?
Is that also going to be in the scope? Or do you interpret this as we’re doing a Burlington Resiliency fund?”
CAO Basit: “Let me focus on the last part of very last part of that sentence, which is to support the community during national disasters and emergencies.
“I would be focusing on options to develop a Burlington Resiliency fund and to say how we could financially support Burlington residents during a disaster,
“I would be looking at a fund as a vehicle to assist during emergencies, for disaster relief and what at are the different ways to structure that fund?
“If we come back finding one is not required I like presenting options. There may be an option to say, you could do all this, or we could simply bolster our reserves that we have, like severe weather reserves or whatever, and focus on developing criteria for various scenarios.
We could still be a little better prepared to have some scenario. So, so it may be that be a range of options, perhaps, to kind of get to what you’re what you’re asking, which is, what if it’s not a fund as such, but, but other ways to, you know, we’ll try and see if we can include that in the analysis, but primarily it’ll focus on the fund as the vehicle.”
Nisan: “Okay, so I’m quite happy to go ahead and support the analysis to look into the fund and how we would do it, but I certainly will ask in October if you as CAO think this is the right idea and the right way to go forward, before we actually approve the way that we would do it. I’m all for improving our resiliency just based on what we have in front of us. I don’t know if this is the right way to do it, but I’m hoping that through your reporting, we’ll have a clear understanding of that.”
Councillor Bentivegna: “I guess I’m reading this as a report that we’re going to look at the high level information as to how we’re going to support the community, and that support to the community and our residents comes in multiple fashions, and that includes regional help and provincial help.
“How are we going to move forward so that we all are on the same page?”
Councillor Sharman: “I’m just going to make a comment. I recognize that people who got flooded are struggling. There’s a lot of empathy for those folks around the community, and everybody’s asking questions about what’s the city doing about it, and how can we help those people, especially those who are in really difficult position, situations.
“I believe that the analysis and this conversation needs to be had. If we get into it and do a deep dive, I’m going to be asking questions like do we underwrite the entire insurance industry? They are basing all their choices on data, and they’re finding they can’t underwrite the flooding in certain homes, so they are not going to do that.
“Furthermore, we’ve got a lot of people who are financially challenged at the best of times, and they find themselves with a flooded basement, and all of a sudden they can’t live a home anymore, and their credit cards are maxed out, and all the rest of it. The question is, to what degree can we help? We have social services at the region who have to or can participate. So what is the nature of our relationship with all of those circumstances?
“I’m assuming you will be considering that as you come back, you’ll take a look at, you know, the broad perspective and the opportunity to make a make some sort of contribution, some provide benefits to the community and maybe individuals, all of which requires significant administration and data collection.
“I think the work is valid. It needs to be discussed. How will it land, is a whole other matter. I’m ready to go on this.”
Councillor Stolte: “I agree with a lot of the comments made. I appreciate the compassionate perspective on why this is coming forward, and I certainly would like to see what options might be available. It is a bit of a slippery slope, because, as councillor Sharman said, that’s always more complicated than what it appears on the surface, and we could be getting ourselves into quite a difficult situation if we move forward with something that’s too inclusive.
“I’m curious to hear what options might be available, and I’m cautiously optimistic that we might be able to find something that will work.
Mayor Meed Ward: This is is not a keep people whole,
Mayor Meed Ward: “I want to absolutely echo everything that’s been said and the the questions that have been asked and just so you know what’s in my mind. I didn’t want to be too specific. I think the analysis has to be done and the options have to come forward. But it’s not in my mind that we will be rebuilding and restoring basements to their original condition. It’s not in my mind that we will be buying people a vehicle if they lost it because the water increased.
“We simply don’t have that kind of resources, and that’s exactly what the provincial Disaster Relief Fund is there for because they do have the resources.
“This is is not a keep people whole, if they’ve ever experienced an emergency that is simply not something that we have the resources to do. But can we do more? I believe we can, and I just want to, and I believe all of our hearts are in this place. We want to leave no stone left unturned, to see what is what is reasonable, what is possible, very mindful as well.”
Councillor Stolte: “So we want to contain it. We want to have good criteria, but we want to see what our options are, and the option to work with a partner like a community foundation, then we don’t have all the additional administrative costs on the city side.
“Having said that, it may, if we have a really good policy based criteria program that can just, it’s just a check box, and there’s not a lot of administration, maybe we keep it in house, but we don’t know any of that.
“I always believe that before we make a decision one way or the other, to rule something in or out, to fund something or not, that we have better and more information to do that with, and we are the October timeline was right around the time we’ll be discussing budget, so if there is something that we want to seed in the budget, at least we have that window of opportunity. And we may not, but let’s give ourselves some options so we can make a good decision. So I hope that that helps everyone.”
Mayor: I am not seeing any other speakers, so we will turn it to the clerk for the recorded vote on this.
Councillor, Galbraith, support; Councillor, Nissan support; Councillor Stolte support; Councillor Sharman support; Councillor Bentivegna support; Mayor Meed Ward support. That carries. Councillor Kearns was absent.
Where is this idea likely to go? It doesn’t appear to have all that much in the way of breathing room. Councillors didn’t get excited. The CAO now has to make time and determine which staff member will take on the task.
We will know in October. Keep in mind that the Mayor does have those Strong Mayor powers and she can just push it into the budget and rack up the brownie points she is going to need in 2026
A little historical context. The rainfall on July 15th was 65 millimetres. The flood that occurred on August 4, 2014 was 192 millimetres. The one that impacted Montreal this past Friday was 107 millimetres. So, in Burlington’s case, despite all the flood abatement and preventative measures the City and Region have purportedly introduced over the past 10 years, a storm with less than 1/3 the rainfall volume impacted about half as many homes as the one that occurred 10 years earlier.
Maybe part of the problem, as Daintry has alluded to, is the eradication of greenspace and the growth intensification, combined with an older stormwater infrastructure that can’t absorb storm volumes.
Are you listening Premier Ford?
Graham – A lot has changed in 10 years with respect to the number and magnitude of insurance claims from flooding and forest fires. There have been many articles in the press about insurance companies withdrawing coverage from certain areas. Climate change is progressing with more severe weather events if you have noticed.
” The CAO now has to make time and determine which staff member will take on the task.” Meanwhile this distraction, amongst other progressive distractions, many of which are nice to do distractions, does nothing substantive towards, COB’s future flood mitigation strategy or action planning.
We all know there will be more of these flood events and we know we built homes and roadways and malls where we should not have done so.
Having spent over a decade in Palm Springs CA and having expeienced a flood while there in 2019 here is a substantive template for action for COB to consider:
https://www.palmspringsca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/82894/637973784799700000
Perhaps instead of a Resiliency Fund what should be considered is an Emergency Response Plan?
This could be a collaboration of the City, Churches, the public. In the event of any type of disaster that affects the residents of Burlington this would immediately fall into place.
Included would be emergency shelter if required. Perhaps community centres/churches that could have cots for people to sleep, shower facilities, meals for those who no longer were able to cook in their homes, areas where residents could meet with representatives from the city, from the region etc. to help them through the process needed to deal with the paperwork etc.
Residents would be able to access this immediately, no qualifying, no waiting for inspectors to come to their home.
Instant help.
P.S. TO MY EARLIER COMMENT
What will Brock University be paying in Rent to the City of Burlington for the use of the space set aside for Brock University, which is totally paid for by Burlington Tax Payers in Burlington?? Brock University gets the majority of Square footage at Bateman.
Where did you find this information?
The Budget numbers are from EICS-01-23.
The area numbers for Phase 1 and the Total of Phase 1 and Phase 2 were presented to council In December 2022. The fact that Brock had a 5 year option for more space in Phase 2 was revealed at the “fulsome” engagement sessions for the indoor space. Appendix B of RCC-10-23 shows the areas (Labeled Phase 2 Shell Space and coloured green) on the second floor that Brock has the option on.
Mayor Meed Ward and Council are all in major damage control right now and are
now trying to compensate all of the residents who experienced severe Flooding to their homes on July 15th and 16th.
Some of these residents have lost everything including items that can never be replaced. It’s terrible and could have been avoided had our Mayor and Council acted appropriately as was promised in MMW’s Mayoral Campaign in 2018!! See Link below.
I hope that MMW and Council members reflect on this Flood disaster moving forward and focus on what you were all Elected to do with our Property Tax dollars like Infastructure and needed services. AND not spending millions and millions of our Property Tax dollars on your numerous Vanity and Legacy projects!!!, Bateman, Skyway Arena, Bike lanes, special benches and cross walk, City Hall Renovations, Love Your Neighbour Grants, $10,000 Matching Fund, etc.etc. The list goes on and on.
Start by cancelling the “Civic Square Renewal Project” at City Hall $3.7 million and counting; $200,000 for the Art Project for Civic Square; Hiring a Arts and Culture Consltant at $150,000. The rest of our money that you have wasted has already been spent unfortunately and without proper Citizen Engagement !!
Stop, and cancel your Trip to Japan for 6 people in October 2024 now. $20,000 plus.
We don’t need our Property Taxes increased to cover much need Infastructure Repair, what we need is for you to remove all of your frivolous spending from your 2025 Budget and replace it with Infastructure repair and renewal. A very Simple ask.
PLEASE READ THIS:
https://burlingtongazette.ca/flooding-we-did-know-then-what-we-needed-to-know-now-the-mayor-just-didnt-act-on-it/
Yes, I understand it needed some repairs back in 2018 at a cost of around
$1 Million and approved, which our Council chose not to do.
Now, MMW and Council have increased the cost significantly to almost $4 Million to built a complete redo and redesign, plus added structures, additional flag poles, and new City Hall entrance doors etc. as well as an Art piece in the amount of $200,000, which we do not need!!
If the Civic Square was so dangerous, as Council said it was, why wasn’t it fixed in 2018? Now 6 years later! They’re doing it “their way”!!
We are extremely frustrated with the city’s silencing of the flood victims’ voices Where is the public meeting such as Stephen White advised happened with a different Mayor at the helm. A public meeting where all are welcome to express what they need and what is happening that should not be and what hasn’t happened that should be.
With the 2014 flood experience under our belts the flood victims should have been better supported than in 2014, but it appears the general consensus is the are not. There is only one viable reason for that – those at the helm.
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The Insurance industry is so concerned about the magnitude of losses from climate change that they have collectively, with the Government of Canada, produced a task force report examining how other federal governments around the world are dealing with this on a national basis. This is much larger than a municipality can take on alone and I strongly urge the City to reach out to the Minister of the Environment, Hon. Steven Guilbeault and the Province to take a more proactive approach with climate change. The federal Public Safety report “Adapting to Rising Flood Risk, A Report by Canada’s Task Force on Flood Insurance and Relocation (August 2022) and the Ontario Auditor General’s report “Climate Change Adaptation: Reducing Urban Flood Risk”, both recommend protection of greenspace as a mitigation measure for climate change. The City has been adamantly opposing the development on the Millcroft Golf Course, a stormwater green infrastructure but the Province is “preferring” a developer instead of protecting the public interest. Noor Javed, a reporter with the Toronto Star posted on July 16 on X “It’s days like today that we can’t forget that development decisions upstream impact flooding downstream.” Ward 5, downstream on Appleby and Sheldon Creeks were hard hit both in 2014 and July of this year. When will our Provincial Government take an interest in the widespread economic interests of Ontarians. The residents of Burlington should also be writing to their MPPs and MPs to express their concerns. These two reports were produced in 2022 and to date no actions have been taken.
What did the city do in 2014?Everyone of my neighbours affected had insurance .What has changed?
Mayor My Way as Chair is supposed to be Neutral, not answering question on her Motion Memo. She should have passed the gave to introduce her Motion Memo.
Mayor My Way loves the Procedure By-law, she just doesn’t follow it.
The Mayor and Councillor Sharman have been in office since 2010. Both of them should know that the chair can and can’t do. Having others introduce her motion doesn’t allow her as chair to participate in the debate ( ie answer question)
This why the Councillors need the workshop on Parliamentary Procedure and chairing meeting that was scheduled back in March. It was cancelled and supposed to be re-scheduled.
Also, Motion Memo’s are not supposed to be introduce at Council. Mayor My Way took Rory to task on this issue when the motion to have here delegate the Strong Mayor Power.
Absolutely. Once again, the rules are different for the mayor: “do as I say, not as I do.” Mayor My Way indeed.
She was quoted for some strange reason in a Star article today as saying: “Whenever you can bring the public to a conversation so that the elected officials aren’t just hearing from the politicians, they are hearing from the people, that’s always the most effective way.” Huh?!!!? Like she does this?? What hypocrisy.