Residents living on des Maçons Street in Pierrefonds-Roxboro, in Montreal’s West Island, say they’re living a nightmare following the intense spring flooding.
Homeowners say they’re left staring at the damage to their properties, including destroyed basements that will have to be gutted.
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However, they argue they can’t start rebuilding until they find out what kind of financial compensation they are entitled to receive.
Repair costs are estimated in the tens of thousands of dollars.
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Some residents say they can’t return home yet because of the extent of the damage to their property, while others say they’ve lost home businesses or have been forced to take a leave of absence from their jobs.
READ MORE: Quebec floods: Hundreds of West Island homes may never be rebuilt
They say have been trying to get in touch with the government about compensation, but have yet to hear anything since property evaluations were done by an appraisal firm hired by the provincial government on May 28.
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They say if they don’t get answers soon, they may consider filing a class action lawsuit against the government.
Last week, Quebec’s Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux and Environment Minister David Heurtel announced a rebuild plan, saying homes will be considered a complete loss if:
- They are already destroyed.
- They are considered dangerous.
- Costs of repairs are more than 50 per cent of the building’s value at the time of the flood.
- They are considered uninhabitable due to health or safety reasons.
Public consultations will be held on July 10 in each municipality affected by the floods.
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This will give the public a chance to react to the government’s plan before it takes effect.
More than 5,300 residences were affected and more than 4,000 people were forced to flee their homes in 278 municipalities during the floods.