High River residents paid $2.3M for damage
More than $2.3 million in compensation has been paid out to homeowners in High River, Alta., whose doors and windows were busted through and floors muddied when authorities carried out controversial house sweeps during historic floods in June 2013.
Provincial and town officials confirm the claims process is pretty much complete and almost 1,600 claimants have received cheques averaging $1,500.
A report released last year found that RCMP-led search teams used crowbars and sledgehammers, in some instances, to gain entry to homes. They also dragged mud and debris across floors as they searched for stranded people and pets, and checked for gas leaks, weapons and other hazards.
The house entries and seizures of more than 600 firearms sparked outrage among residents and even claims that gun safes had been breached by the Mounties. But an investigation by the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP could find no evidence to support those claims.
The watchdog did, however, criticize the Mounties for carrying out, in some cases, overly broad searches for firearms and contraband, and for improperly seizing several guns that had been lawfully secured. (The Criminal Code allows warrantless seizures only of unsecured firearms or contraband that are in “plain view”).
All firearms seized by police were later returned, except those that went unclaimed or were asked to be destroyed by their owners.
The 2013 floods across southern Alberta forced the evacuation of 100,000 people and caused billions of dollars in damage.
In hard-hit High River, a town of 13,000 south of Calgary, RCMP-led search teams entered more than 4,600 homes, sometimes more than once.
They used force to get into 754 of them, according to official reports, though the number was likely higher as a result of incomplete record keeping.
Residents who wished to make a claim were instructed to file a report with the RCMP. and include photographs and receipts for repairs carried out. More than 2,100 claims were submitted.
“Residents would submit their claims to the RCMP, and once approved by the RCMP, the town would send them a cheque,” said High River spokesman, Kevin Tetzlaff, in an email. “The town would then be reimbursed from the province through its own Disaster Recovery Program claim.”
To date, 1,574 claims have been paid out in the amount of $2,340,440.83, said Tim Seefeldt, a spokesman for Alberta Municipal Affairs. The average amount paid was $1,485.24.
The largest amount paid was $63,001.06 — but it was for a building with multiple units, Seefeldt said.
ONCE APPROVED BY THE RCMP, THE TOWN WOULD SEND THEM A CHEQUE.
“The claims were covered by the government of Alberta, but will be eligible for federal reimbursement,” he said.
Meanwhile, the last of thousands of damage claims stemming from the flooding itself are being processed.
Southern Alberta residents were invited to apply to the province’s Disaster Recovery Program for financial assistance to cover uninsurable losses.
As of late May, the province had paid out more than $145 million to more than 6,500 home and business owners — about half went to those in High River.
About 200 claims have not been finalized and about 80 appeals are still pending.
This year, a group of High River residents sent a report to the province to draw attention to the unresolved cases and to what it said were “systemic failings” with the program, including the lack of an effective case management system.
The province has committed to reviewing the program and making improvements.