Quebec floods: Victims fill Pointe-Claire hotel looking for answers

Many concerned flood victims gathered Monday night at a meeting about the Quebec government’s proposed special flood zone law.

The draft bill sets out the rules for compensation in the 20 year flood zone.

For homes with more than 50 per cent damage that are in the 20-year flood zone, reconstruction will not be authorized, although residents may be able to contest that decision to an independent review board.

Representatives from the Municipal Affairs, Environment, and Public Security minister were there to talk about the special law, but were instead peppered with other compensation and flood related questions from the hundreds of residents that packed into the Holiday Inn Pointe-Claire.

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Several told Global News that they feel abandoned and frustrated.

“There have been no answers,” Île Bizard resident Linda Marin told Global News. “I almost lost my job from being all stressed out and not knowing what was going on, and taking time to try and find answers. I don’t ever want to go through this again.”

She’s not alone in her frustration with the flow of information from the provincial government.

“We feel abandoned and now as the weeks go by, we’re starting to feel like it is abuse,” said Pierrefonds-Roxboro resident René Leblanc.

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Many others at the meeting say they didn’t get any of the information they were hoping to find out and that they’ve waited to hear since May.

Stuck in the middle between residents and the provincial government are local mayors.

“The major crisis is over, but we still have 90 residents who can’t go home yet,” Pierrefonds-Roxboro mayor Jim Beis said outside the meeting room. “They don’t know if they’ll get money and they are waiting. We at the city are processing permits within a day once people get the okay, but until then, they’re waiting. Can you imagine the stress it is causing?”

“I am very worried for the community,” he added.

There were desks set up in the lobby outside the meeting where residents could apply for financial aid.

The meeting in Pointe-Claire was one of 15 that were held across the province Monday.

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The provincial government will take the information from the session into consideration before moving forward with the special law surrounding the flood zones.

It is expected to take months for a final decision to be made as to who will be allowed to rebuild and who will have to start over.