Homeowner not happy taking one for ‘Liberal team’

From comments made by Cape Breton Regional Municipality planning director Malcolm Gillis published online after the Thanksgiving Day Flood it appears the people in Sydney’s south end who lost practically everything they owned following the flood took one for the team.

Gillis states Sydney’s south end is notorious for flooding, but shockingly reveals that it is by design. He explains south end parklands sometimes act as a retention pond, slowing down water so it doesn’t overflow the culverts and streets thereby causing increased basement flooding in neighbourhoods further downstream.

I am glad that design plan worked to prevent more basements flooding. Unfortunately, it didn’t do much to protect ours – or our downstairs.

Gillis [referring to the park lands] states: “the water is ponding there because the culverts aren’t large enough to channel the water underneath the streets that … go over the brook” adding, “in a lot of cases that’s a good thing.” Obviously, this design plan was not a good thing in all cases. I get it about the cost to government of putting in proper infrastructure. It is hard to spend money you don’t have. Everything is expensive. The problem is the people who have lost their homes, many or all of their belongings and – in some cases – their vehicles face the same problem.

My anger, however, is not directed at Gillis (I am sure he did what he could with what he had to work with). No, it is towards an arrogant Liberal government who refuse to consider the plight of people whose homes became a retention pond – if not by design, then by extension.

The more Liberal politicians duck us, cite taxpayers’ money as an excuse not to help adequately, dictate terms, pit us off against sometimes belittling bureaucrats and who now appear to be deducting charitable monies from what was a poorly designed disaster assistance formula to begin with one gets tired of taking anything more for the team. Particularly the Liberal team. Tom McNeil South End Lost Homes Coalition Sydney