Ontario disaster relief program expected to open this week for Canada Day flood survivors

Ontario is expected to open its disaster recovery assistance program for Ottawa residents by the end of the week, nearly two weeks after the July 1 storm that left thousands of homes flooded.

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said Monday that Ontario Municipal Affairs Minister Rob Flack told him the province is moving to make Ottawa eligible for the Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians (DRAO) program. "He's indicated to me that they are moving as quickly as possible to make this area eligible for funding and that it should happen this week," Sutcliffe said at City Hall.

The program helps homeowners, small businesses, farms and non-profits recover costs for cleanup, repairs and other essential expenses after disasters. It is designed to be accessed after insurance claims are processed, Sutcliffe explained, not as an immediate emergency response.

The storm dumped as much as 167 millimetres of rain in parts of the city in about five hours on July 1. Nearly 5,800 residents have reported flooded basements to the city so far.

Sutcliffe said he has been hearing from residents who are being told they may not qualify for insurance coverage. "I'm very disappointed to hear that," he said. "These residents must be able to count on the insurance companies to whom they've been paying premiums for many years."

The city is working to connect residents with insurance representatives and legal resources. City officials have collected about 2,500 tonnes of curbside waste from the storm recovery, roughly what Ottawa collects in a typical week. Council is expected to propose additional relief measures Wednesday, including waiving permit fees for repairs to flooded basements.