Flood victims worried about whether they will able to rebuild may have some good news, according to the Quebec government.
Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux announced changes to the government’s flood compensation package on Wednesday, aiming to make the process more “fair.”
“We wanted to listen to our citizens, we wanted to listen to our municipalities in the affected regions,” Coiteux explained.
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Originally, those in the 211 various 20-year flood zones would not be able to rebuild if the needed repairs exceeded 50% of the value of the home.
To increase the number of eligible homes — and to prevent population decline — the value of the property’s land will also be taken into account.
To determine whether half of the property’s value is damaged, the government will now use the reconstruction cost rather than the municipal valuations.
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Municipalities will be given some power as well. They can file applications to ask the government to exempt entire neighbourhoods from certain rules so that they can rebuild.
Under those circumstances, homeowners wouldn’t have to apply individually for compensation. It would also help municipalities manage the rebuilding and prevent depopulation.
The public security minister estimates that the changes will add $15 million to the government’s flood compensation package.
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As of July 19th, $26 million have been distributed to flood victims and almost 5000 claims are being evaluated.
5300 homes in 278 municipalities were damaged by the spring floods of 2017.
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