Hundreds of flood victims in Pierrefonds inched closer to getting financial compensation from the government on Thursday.
About 400 Pierrefonds flood victims filled the Pierrefonds Community Centre on Thursday for the chance to meet face-to-face with government officials.
“It’s something we’ve been asking for for a long time,” said flood victim Rene Leblanc. “Rather than having telephone discussions and long-distance discussions, to have boots on the ground. To have people face to face.”
The personalized meetings gave people a chance to meet one-on-one with representatives of the province, city, Red Cross and more.
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“We have multiple ministries here, the city to talk about construction permits, we also have psycho-social aid if people need. We have a panoply of services that will allow people to push their files forward,” said public security ministry official Denis Landry.
People came with folders full of receipts and renovation estimates to show officials in an effort to get money for repairs, or permits to be allowed to fix their homes. They met with officials for 30 to 45 minutes, and most came out satisfied that their files had progressed.
“Will I finally see some of the money I was waiting for? I’m hopeful. More hopeful now than when I first came in,” said Leblanc.
The borough mayor of Pierrefonds called on the Quebec government to follow through on the meetings.
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“We need to make sure the government and all the stakeholders that are here today make sure that they take action to find solutions for these folks and get them back some sense of normalcy,” said Jim Beis.
The meetings continue on Friday. More are upcoming, including in Ile Bizard Oct 10 and 11.
The full list can be found here.