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PM Trudeau announces $300M Fiona recovery fund to help cover uninsured damages

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday that the federal government is setting up a $300-million "Hurricane Fiona recovery fund" to help Atlantic Canadians rebuild from the deadly and destructive post-tropical storm.

As a result of storm surge and high winds from what’s been cited as one of the strongest storms ever to make landfall in Canada, a number of homes were swept out to sea. Businesses, bridges, airports and other infrastructure were also severely damaged.

"This funding will support projects to repair and rebuild storm-damaged critical infrastructures such as wharves, support the cleanup of fishing gear so that boats and marine life can once again safely navigate these waters, and of course help local businesses and communities rebuild and recover," Trudeau said Tuesday.

The fund will provide "up to an additional $300 million over two years, starting this year," according to the government, with the money to be administered through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) in co-ordination with the Canada Economic Development Agency for Quebec Regions (CED) as well as other related departments.

The federal government has yet to announce the specifics of how this funding will be allocated, other than the minister responsible for ACOA, Ginette Petitpas Taylor, telling reporters that while there are still some details to be worked out, "the money is going to be rolling out very quickly."

“We know that there are already programs in place—agricultural programs, disaster mitigation, and financial assistance programs. This fund will be there for anyone who is not covered by any of the other programs," said Trudeau, who visited the affected areas last week. "We are there to help people rebuild from Fiona, whether it be federal infrastructure, whether it be community infrastructure, whether it be you know, people who are facing challenges from uninsured to structural damage in their homes.”

Under the federal government's pre-existing Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA), up to 90 per cent of eligible provincial expenses following a disaster are covered, such as transportation, emergency food and shelter, and replacing uninsurable property.

This announcement comes as tens of thousands of Maritimers are still without power, 11 days after Fiona hit the region. In some areas, utility officials say it could be Saturday or Sunday before power is restored, citing severe damage to essential infrastructure, such as downed power lines and connecting poles.

Approximately 850 members of the Canadian Armed Forces are in Atlantic Canada helping with the clean-up, power restoration efforts, and wellness checks, with Minister for Rural Economic Development Gudie Hutchings telling reporters on Monday that it's going to be "weeks" still that the military will be deployed.

"As long as there’s work to be done, they will be there," the Newfoundland and Labrador MP said.

Requests for assistance have been extended to Oct. 7 in all three affected provinces, according to Labour Minister and fellow Newfoundland and Labrador MP Seamus O'Regan.

"To every person out there that ran an electrical cord from a house with power to a house without power, to every person that set a chair in a phone charging station. That's what Atlantic Canadians are. That's the kind of people we have here," said Nova Scotia MP Darren Fisher during Tuesday's announcement.  

The federal government has previously committed to matching all Fiona-related donations made to the Canadian Red Cross until the end of the month, and has offered some tax deadline relief to those on the East Coast. 

In Ottawa on Tuesday, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh called on the Liberals to waive Employment Insurance rules for Atlantic workers, as was done in British Columbia during last year's extreme flooding.

Singh sent a letter to Trudeau asking as much, stating that because many Canadians cannot work due to businesses and homes being without power, the federal government should offer some form of emergency wage assistance.

"With the cost of living so high, with inflation on the rise, people are really feeling worried about how they're going to be able to buy food. Something as simple as going to the grocery store without having work is impossible," Singh said during a press conference on Parliament Hill. "So, we need an immediate plan to help those workers, those people, those Atlantic Canadians, who cannot go to work, and need support right now."

With files from CTV News Atlantic's Natalie Lombard

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