CALGARY- A multi-million dollar buyout has been announced for a hard-hit area of High River, that will hopefully give flood victims some closure.
The community of Wallaceville sits at a critical chokepoint along the Highwood River, and was one of the worst-affected areas during the June flood.
The town and province have come to an agreement that would see them spend upwards of $40 million to buy homeowners out, at their 2013 property assessment values.
Some residents are worried that won’t be enough money to buy something comparable, but the town’s mayor says he’s open to negotiating.
“These are people’s homes that we’re dealing with, and there’s going to be some of them that are going to fight for their homes,” says Mayor Craig Snodgrass. “But if we look at the big picture, council made this decision because we believe this is the best thing for this community.”
While it may not be an ideal situations, most residents are expected to go for the deal.
“I think a lot of them will, I think the devil is in the details,” says Dan Telfer, who lives in the community. “Everyone’s situation is different.”
However, his neighbour across the street isn’t so sure.
“Really at the end of the day, I’ve been here 18 years,” says Jamie Kinghorn. “I’ve raised kids here, we’ve planted trees, buried pets, it’s a home. It’s more than sticks and stones to me.”
He adds he likely won’t find a similar property for the price the government would buy his house for.
“For something comparable, it would unlikely to cover half. I’ve got a large lot, it’s well treed, it’s a good neighbourhood.”
The town says that eliminating the community and returning the area to its natural state is the only way to protect the rest of High River in the event of another flood. An engineering report found another option would have been to add a three metre high berm, but its effectiveness would have been questionable.
Comments