OTTAWA – More than five months after a powerful storm damaged properties and left people without power for days, the City of Ottawa has still not been reimbursed by the provincial government for its recovery costs.
The derecho, a line of intense and fast-moving windstorms, originated around Sarnia, Ontario on May 21 and moved north into Quebec, killing 11 people, damaging buildings and temporarily forcing many people to leave their homes.
Ottawa’s outgoing mayor, Jim Watson, is still discussing the refund with the provincial government, which the mayor’s office said has promised to pay all municipal stimulus costs.
The bill from the storm is pegged at around $20 million for the city’s recovery, including repairing damage to municipal property and clearing debris.
“They said they would be there for us, that they would help us,” the outgoing city councilor said. Scott Moffatt, who did not run in the municipal elections last week. “There is therefore no reason to believe that they would not complete or follow through on this commitment.”
If the provincial government doesn’t keep that promise, the city may have to withdraw the money from its reserve fund, earmarked for unforeseen financial emergencies, he said.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada said insured losses will exceed $875 million, making it the sixth costliest storm for insurance companies in Canadian history.
In late September, Watson wrote a second letter to Ontario Premier Doug Ford designating the city as an area eligible for Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians program money. It allows landlords, renters, non-profits, small businesses and farms to submit requests for financial assistance for damage associated with the storm.
The mayor’s office says it hasn’t received a response yet.
Com. Catherine Kitts, who returned to office in the recent mayoral election, championed the cause of many affected residents months later. She said some still lacked proper roofs due to their inability to pay repair costs.
“People are really hurting and they feel let down by the government,” Kitts said. “Why have this program if you’re not going to use it after a disaster?”
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on October 31, 2022.
This story was produced with the financial assistance of Meta and the Canadian Press News Fellowship.
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