Ottawa city councillors and local MPPs have signed an open letter calling for more assistance from the provincial government following last week’s record-breaking rainstorm. A string of thunderstorms slammed Ottawa on July 1 with 118 mm of rain, cancelling Canada Day activities and leaving more than 3,200 basements flooded, according to the city. Local MPPs Tyler Watt, Karen McCrimmon, Stephen Blais, Lucille Collard and John Fraser along with city councillors Laine Johnson, Wilson Lo, David Hill and Sean Devine, are asking the Ontario government to designate the most affected areas under the Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians (DRAO) program. Under DRAO, residents and small businesses can apply for financial assistance to recover after a natural disaster. The program is only accessible if activated by the government for a specific region when a “sudden, unexpected natural disaster causes costly and widespread damage.” Claimants can receive up to $250,000, the Ontario government’s website says. “Residents have suffered extensive damage to homes, businesses, and personal property. Many are facing significant repair costs at a time when families are already struggling with the rising cost of living,” the letter reads. “They should not be expected to bear the financial burden of this disaster on their own.” The letter asks the province to deploy the Provincial Disaster Assessment Team to determine if Ottawa meets the eligibility criteria for the program. In a statement on Monday, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing confirmed it is assessing the situation in Ottawa. “Once the assessment is finalized, the Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians (DRAO) program may be activated in areas where there is costly and widespread damage to homes or small businesses. When the program is activated, a news bulletin is issued, and details are posted on the DRAO website,” a Ministry spokesperson said. Residents will have four months to apply for funding from when the program is activated, the Ministry added. “Affected residents are encouraged to document all damage and retain photos, receipts, and records of clean-up and repair costs. They should also contact their insurance company to determine coverage.” Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said he had spoken to Premier Doug Ford about support for the city and residents impacted by flooding. “The Premier and his team have agreed to provide whatever support they can to help our city and affected residents recover from the storm. We will have more details in the coming days,” Sutcliffe said on social media Friday. On Sunday, Sutcliffe said impacted households can drop off garbage free of charge at the Trail Road Landfill if they bring details on their basement flooding service request and provide ID confirming their address. Those who have already dropped off garbage at the facility can submit a reimbursement request, he added. Meanwhile, residents and the city continue to clean up downed trees and throw out materials damaged inside water-logged basements. As many as 40,000 people lost power during the storm, though the vast majority of customers have their lights back on. Hydro Ottawa says crews continue to focus on isolated outages and complete electrical safety checks. Starting Monday, residents in Bay, College and Knoxdale-Merivale will be able to dispose of storm-related debris and some construction materials, exempting them from the three-item garbage limit. As a temporary measure, the city says residents with more spoiled food and organic waste than will fit in their green bin can place additional garbage bags beside it. Each garbage bag must be clearly labelled “Green Bin” and will be picked on the regular collection date.
