Ste-Marthe victims plead for flexibility in aid plan
Residents forced to flee homes after ‘city assured us we were not in a flood zone’
QUEBEC They thought their homes were protected by a dike — but when it failed, their lives were turned upside down.
A dozen Ste-Marthe-sur-le-lac flood victims arrived at the National Assembly on Wednesday to issue a plea for the government to show more flexibility in its flood compensation programs.
They find themselves in a uniquely difficult situation when it comes to compensation. Because of the dike, their homes were not technically in a flood zone. And yet, when the dike failed on April 27, 6,000 residents were forced to flee.
Now many would like to leave the area for good. But they say the government’s offer of $200,000 for their home and $50,000 for the land does not cover their costs.
One young daughter in the group made a passionate plea for help, saying many young flood victims remain traumatized.
“The main word I would use to describe the situation is stressful,” Mickaëlla Hardy, 14, said at the news conference organized by the Liberal critic for public security, Christine St-Pierre.
“It haunts us. There is no escape from it because it’s our home.
“The city assured us we were not in a flood zone and here we are — we’re flooded. We just feel completely betrayed. We are suffering the consequences of something we were not even aware of.
“My parents would never have risked buying a home in a flood zone.”
“These are not rich people,” added St-Pierre. “Most would like to get on with their lives elsewhere. They are not asking for the moon. They are asking the government to look at its programs. We’re here to find solutions.”
St-Pierre later raised the plight of the residents during question period.
“Today they find themselves with their lives on hold,” St-Pierre said, addressing Public Security Minister Geneviève Guilbault. “The government’s new compensation program is poorly adapted to their reality.”
Guilbeault responded that the government has not ruled out adjustments.
“We recognize that this situation is exceptional,” Guilbault answered. “I want to reassure the people present that we are working toward better solutions for caseby-case situations; because not everybody is in the same situation.”
Earlier, Premier François Legault defended his government’s handling of the spring flood crisis, noting that in the case of SteMarthe-sur-le-lac, the government has agreed to rebuild the dike.
“You cannot build a dike overnight so we need to make sure that it’s done correctly,” Legault said, arriving for question period.
He noted his government has revamped the compensation system after complaints about its failure in the 2017 floods.
“I think we have a generous (compensation) program,” Legault said. “I think there is some worry about how much they will get.
“We will try to inform them as much as we can and act as fast as possible. But already I think we have done a lot more than others in the past.
“I think it’s normal (to do a careful evaluation of claims). We will act as fast as possible. I don’t like bureaucracy. I don’t like long delays. So I will make sure that we act fast.”
Public Security Ministry figures reveal the government has doled out $24.2 million in compensation to flood victims and is processing another 4,544 claims.
Quebec expects that number to grow as the number of flood victims has topped 10,000.
Meanwhile, some Montreal-area mayors criticized both the provincial and federal governments for their response to the flooding.
In an open letter titled “Flooding 2019 — Once the cameras leave, so do the politicians,” the nine mayors of the municipal region Vaudreuil-Soulanges accuse Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Legault of having “already turned the page on this event and (of seeming) unconcerned by the demands of the municipalities.”
In a series of questions, the mayors ask Legault if he intends to assume all the costs of housing those who were flooded out, and accuse the Public Security Ministry of dealing with municipalities in an “inequitable” manner, providing different versions of information to various towns while leaving some completely in the dark.
The mayors complain they haven’t had a teleconference with the Public Security Ministry since the middle of last month.
They wonder why no public consultation has been planned for residents who were flooded out and why only one recovery office has been opened, in Rigaud, while nine municipalities suffered flood damage.
The letter notes the towns are still waiting for assistance from the Canadian Armed Forces promised more than two weeks ago by Public Security Minister Geneviève Guilbault, and exhausted residents need help removing sandbags that have been piled up to keep their properties from the floodwaters.
The letter is signed by the mayors of Pointe-Fortune, Rigaud, Hudson, Vaudreuil-Dorion, Vaudreuil-sur-le-Lac, L’Île-Cadieux, Terrasse-Vaudreuil, L’Île-Perrot and Pincourt.
Presse Canadienne contributed to this report.