Two-and-a-half years after floods severely damaged Graham Checkland’s basement condo, he still hasn’t been able to move back into his home. But he’s paid $25,000 in mortgage and condo fees ever since — a huge sum on a janitor’s salary.
Despite the money he’s spending, his condo remains unlivable.
“I have a wife and a baby. I don’t know what to do anymore,” 39-year-old Checkland said from the unfinished shell of his small unit in Sainte-Geneviève.
“I want the government to come into contact with me, understand my story, and explain if there is an option better than bankruptcy.”
Graham first bought his condo 10 years ago, and says he wasn’t fully aware it was in a flood zone. In 2017, floods inundated his small, one-bedroom apartment. Five feet of sewage water permeated the walls, rendering the home unlivable and full of damage. As a result, Checkland and his wife moved in with his father.
The condo owners association made a compensation claim to the government. It took one year to process government flood claim damages. When money finally came in, repair work started. The government agreed to cover 75 per cent of damages — the rest came from the condo owners.
After several delays, the work was almost complete last April.
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“We were 90 per cent complete. They said, ‘you are going to get your keys in two weeks,’ then we got nailed again,” Checkland said.
READ MORE: Canadians more concerned about flooding than 4 years ago: poll
About a foot of water flooded his basement in the spring, causing damage to the renovations. Repair work stopped. The condo owners association laid new claims with the government for compensation. Those claims still aren’t processed.
According to the association, renovations won’t restart until money comes in. But Graham keeps bleeding money to support the home he can’t live in.
“I just got a bill for $1200 two weeks ago. I have not lived here in (two-and-a-half) years now. I have to cough up $1200 for the roof. Great,” he said.
Although his condo unit lies in a flood zone, Graham isn’t eligible to sell his home to the government. The condo association estimates there is about $15,000 worth of damage to his basement unit. To sell, about 50 per cent of the value of the property would need to be damaged.
“My place was destroyed by a natural disaster and they are not willing to do anything,” he said.
“They just don’t care.”
The whole ordeal has left Checkland stressed, distraught and broke. One month ago he went on sick leave from his job as a janitor at a school, because he is so upset with his situation.
“I lost 35 pounds, my hair is falling out, I feel like s***,” he said. “I have stopped working because I feel so irritable.”
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He’s hired a lawyer and has a meeting with his local mayor on Wednesday to ask for help. He says he isn’t satisfied with the answers he’s been getting from the management association of the building about why renovations have stopped, and when they are going to restart.
“We are at a stalemate and he is looking for answers, and we are trying to get answers for him,” said his lawyer Bruce Taub.
Graham wants to move on, but says he can’t afford to. He’s hoping he’ll get some help from the government, so he can turn his back on a home that hasn’t felt like one for years.
WATCH: (Aug. 2, 2019) West Island mayors meet with province about flood maps
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