Water levels are finally starting to recede, but there’s a rising tide of paper showing up at the Montreal courthouse.
A group of Île Bizard flood victims is taking that borough to court in a proposed class-action lawsuit.
The group, made up of about 1,000 people, is alleging a breach of trust.
WATCH: Ile-Bizard residents brace for weeks of high water levels (May 6)
They haven’t named a dollar amount, but they say the borough mismanaged its flood response in badly flooded places like Barabé Crescent and Joly Street.
“This place was still in total crisis. Why was the mayor here turning back resources that were offered?” said Robert Idsinga, one of the plaintiffs.
At the beginning of May, volunteers were stopped from building a dike on Joly Street on the island. Authorities said at the time that the dike would have made matters worse.
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A week later, both residents and the borough agreed on the construction of a sandbag barrier on Barabé Crescent.
But days after the wave barrier was built, residents were upset that the stagnant water mixed with sewage left pooling in the street wasn’t completely pumped out by the borough.
People said authorities gave up too easily without trying multiple pumps.
WATCH: Quebec Flooding: Frustrations mounting at Île-Bizard trailer park
Île-Bizard—Sainte-Geneviève borough mayor Normand Marinacci told Global News he was “surprised” by the class action and that he thought the borough did an “excellent job” protecting its citizens from the floods.
— With files from Global News’ Phil Carpenter and Gloria Henriquez
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