A local member of the Ontario legislature says many of those affected by last fall's floods have yet to receive payment from the province.
Windsor West MPP Percy Hatfield, the NDP critic for municipal affairs, posed the question this week during a Question Period at Queen's Park in Toronto, reminding his colleagues of the magnitude of the September 2016 "hundred years' storm".
“In a short period of time storm sewers overflowed, thousands of homes were flooded," said Hatfield. "110 millimeters of rain fell in five hours, 190 millimeters over 48 hours. More than what we would normally get in two months."
There were numerous applications to the provincial government from those affected in Windsor, Tecumseh and Lakeshore, but Hatfield says the response, unlike the September flood waters, has just been a trickle.
“It’s been six months, yet only 36 people have received relief payments," says Hatfield. "20 more have partial payments, but their file is still open. When can the rest of the people of Windsor-Tecumseh who were affected by the flooding receive the relief they were promised?”
Speaking for the Liberal majority, Bill Mauro, minister of municipal affairs, pointed out that the province's disaster response was put into action on October 3, 2016 after he met with Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens, Tecumseh's Gary McNamara and Lakeshore's Tom Bain. He said municipalities were no longer required to raise funds for disaster relief on their own and under changes in Ontario's disaster relief fund, low-income households can now apply for coverage where sewer backup has taken place.
Hatfield says many constituents are still waiting for answers, though the deadline for homeowners to apply for payments was January 31.
"Two-thirds of those applying for disaster relief have been denied," said Hatfield. "The provisions of the disaster relief fund were established in the last century. Climate change is here...this Liberal government has got to some to grips with that."
Jeff Leal, minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs, says $806,000 was earmarked by the province for the town of Tecumseh itself. He says municipalities should be working toward separating their drinking water from their treatment water to ensure that drainage systems do not experience that kind of deluge.
Tecumseh experienced the highest number of flooded homes after the September storm. The town says their pump and drainage system was working perfectly, but there was much more water than the system could handle.