Ottawa flood victims still waiting for provincial relief as cleanup costs continue to climb

There’s still no word on when the province might be able to offer financial assistance to residents affected by the Canada Day flooding.

Nearly two weeks after flash floods devastated parts of Ottawa on Canada Day, many residents are still cleaning up and waiting for help from the province.

The Ontario government says it will activate the Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians (DRAO) program for eligible areas affected by significant overland flooding, but it has not said when applications will open.

For Crystal Beach resident Paul Maloney, the recovery has already come at a steep cost.

“When water started pouring through the basement drain on Canada Day, we just started grabbing what we could,” Maloney said.

The flood left his washer, dryer, furnace and hot water tank under roughly three feet of water.

“I didn’t know water could rise that quickly,” he said.

Nearly two weeks later, his basement has been cleared out, industrial fans have dried the space, and damaged appliances have been replaced.

But the bills continue to mount.

Maloney says his insurance claim was denied because his policy did not cover overland flooding or drain backup, leaving him to pay nearly $20,000 out of pocket so far, with the final cost still unknown.

“It’s a long process and we’re still trying to figure out what the next steps are,” he said.

In a post on social media Monday night, Municipal Affairs Minister Rob Flack said, “Our government will be activating the disaster recovery assistance for Ontarians program for eligible areas that have experienced significant overland flooding.”

“The DRAO program is not intended to replace insurance… where losses are not covered by insurance, residents in designated areas may be eligible to apply for assistance through DRAO once the program is activated.”

Maloney says residents want to see more action from the province.

“The way I see it, as a provincial government, when they go to the top of the CN Tower and they look around, they believe that’s Ontario and it’s not. Ontario is much bigger. We’re part of it. We’re in the far east of Ontario and we’d like to see some representation here,” he said.

The City of Ottawa says it has received more than 6,600 flood-related service requests since the Canada Day storm, while the number of flooded homes has climbed to nearly 6,000.

The city also held an information session in Crystal Beach, where nearly 90 residents attended during the first two hours to seek advice on insurance claims and recovery.

“We wanted some advice because there’s someone from the Insurance Bureau of Canada here about how to deal with our insurance company because they’re generally not being easy to reach at all,” said resident Steve Marsh.

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe says the city has launched a review of how Ottawa’s stormwater system performed during the flooding to identify opportunities for improvement.

For Maloney, the review can’t come soon enough.

“There was two feet of water out here on the street and it was bubbling from down below. But I think the infrastructure here was made for 1964 when these houses were built and it’s never been upgraded,” he said.

“If I had something to say to the city, it would be please come out and have a look, see if we need to manage this a bit better and make sure we can disperse the water when it gets here.”

The province is encouraging affected residents to document all damage, keep photos and receipts for cleanup and repair costs, and contact their insurance provider to determine what is covered.

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