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.
CTV News Ottawa has reached out to the Ontario government for comment.
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.
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.
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