Supporting Ottawa families after historic Canada Day flooding
Canada Day’s storm brought record-breaking rainfall to Ottawa, leaving a trail of devastation across our city.
The storm brought record-breaking rainfall to Ottawa, making it one of the most significant flooding events our city has experienced in more than 25 years. More than 4,500 basements were flooded, over 40,000 Hydro Ottawa customers lost power and emergency crews responded to hundreds of calls as roads, homes and critical infrastructure were overwhelmed by the storm.
My family’s thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by the flooding. While Orléans was fortunate to avoid the worst of the storm, many families across Ottawa are now facing the emotional and financial challenges of rebuilding their lives.
That’s why last week, I joined my Ottawa Liberal colleagues and local City Councillors in calling on the Ford government to immediately deploy the Provincial Disaster Assessment Team to assess the impacts of the storm. This assessment is the first step towards determining whether Ottawa qualifies for the Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians (DRAO) program, which can provide eligible homeowners, tenants, small businesses, farmers and organizations with financial assistance of up to $250,000 to help recover financially from a natural disaster.
I also communicated directly with the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, whose Ministry is responsible for managing the DRAO program.
This letter calls on the Ford government to immediately assess the damage caused by the devastating storm and provide recovery support to Ottawa residents.
On July 6th, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing confirmed that the province has begun assessing the damage in Ottawa. Once the assessment is finalized, the DRAO program might be activated in eligible areas across our city. I will ensure to keep residents informed on the outcome of the assessment and share all of the necessary information for those who I hope will be eligible to apply to the program.
Unfortunately, the Ford government did not provide a timeline for the assessment. It’s important that this assessment be treated with the urgency that it deserves. Every day that passes is another day that families are left wondering whether help is on the way. Ottawa residents have shown incredible resilience and neighbours have stepped up to help one another, but they should not have to recover from the impacts of this storm alone. The province must do its part and ensure that families receive the support they need to rebuild their homes and lives, and move forward.
We’ve seen this before. After the derecho wind storm tore through Ottawa and hit Orléans and rural east Ottawa particularly hard in the spring of 2022, the Premier came to town and made lots of promises of support and financial relief. Unfortunately, four long years later, not a single dollar has flowed to support the City, Hydro Ottawa or impacted homeowners and farmers.
In the meantime, residents are encouraged to document all damage, keep receipts and photos, and contact their insurance provider to determine available coverage.
As families across Ottawa continue to clean their properties following the storm, residents are being reminded that items left at the curb may be contaminated, and should not be touched or salvaged. Our community must continue to come together, support affected neighbours and help ensure that everyone can rebuild safely.
I also want to thank the first responders, Hydro Ottawa crews, City of Ottawa staff and countless neighbours who have stepped up to support one another during this time.
Ottawa residents have shown remarkable resilience during this challenging time, and I’ll continue advocating for them to receive the support that they deserve.