90-year-old Ottawa man says flood destroyed his basement and insurance won’t cover it

Many Ottawa residents affected by devastating flooding on Canada Day are uncertain by what their insurance can or won’t cover, including one 90-year-old man.

A 90-year-old Ottawa man says he has been left with no clear answers after record breaking rainfall on Canada Day destroyed the basement of his home and decades of family memories.

Bill Sandziuk has lived in his home for 51 years. Now, many of his belongings are piled on the curb, downstairs and in the backyard.

“Everything is gone, including the family treasures,” he said.

He says he has paid for insurance for 67 years but is now being told the damage is not covered.

“My paper copy says I’m covered, but over the phone says I am not,” he said. “So, I don’t know where I stand. I don’t know where the next move is from here.”

Sandziuk says he has been with the same agency since 1959. Over the years, it’s changed hands, and his policy is now with Intact Insurance.

In a statement to CTV News, Intact says, “While we cannot speak about specific details on customer files, what we can share is that our teams are actively working with this customer to resolve the issue.”

But without a clear answer, he says he has been left to pick up the pieces himself, with help from his son and daughter.

“I had almost three feet of water in the kitchen,” he said. “The laundry machine was floating like a boat… so I have to replace everything.”

Sandziuk is not the only one waiting for answers.

On the same street, his neighbours say they are also waiting on insurance. A restoration company has already been inside their home, but they say many others are still waiting for help.

“There’s still a lot of people who are in a bad situation without a furnace, AC, hot water, that are still waiting for a response,” Jon Pick said. “You’re in this massive queue of people waiting.”

The Insurance Bureau of Canada says with thousands of flooded basements, coverage depends on the policy and how the water entered the home.

“The best advice is to reach out to your insurance provider to understand what coverage you do have,” said Rob De Pruis, national director of consumer industry relations for the Insurance Bureau of Canada said. “You can also add coverage now. It won’t help you for this event, but it will protect you from future events.”

“If you’ve already reported the claim, you can do some work yourself. Take lots of pictures, make sure that you take video and track your hours. If you have to buy anything in order to deal with some of the damages in your basement, make sure that you keep all of those receipts because your adjustor will want to see them.”

Sandziuk says he is now waiting for an appraiser to survey the damage. But roughly a week after the flood, he still does not know what happens next.

“Until then, I don’t know what’s happening and I’m afraid mold will start to set in,” he said. “It’s almost a week now. I don’t know what’s the next move. It’s just a helpless feeling.”

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe says he plans to bring forward a motion at the next council meeting to increase funding for qualified property owners and tenants affected by flooding caused by a sewer surcharge.

The province is also working to help affected residents apply for disaster recovery assistance, with more details expected once available.

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