Only 50 per cent of the residents affected by the 2019 Quebec spring floods have received their full compensation from the government, according to a report from the Quebec Ministry of Public Security.
In the greater Montreal region, however, that number is at 60 per cent.
Public Security Minister Geneviève Guilbault said that the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government is moving 20 times faster than the Liberal government did when they compensated victims after the 2017 spring floods.
READ MORE: Quebec says it will double down aid for Ste-Marthe-sur-le-Lac flood victims before winter
Guilbault called the compensation program a work-in-progress, but insists that it is an improvement from the government’s previous program.
The minister said they are processing claims much faster thanks to their reformed compensation system.
“When I tabled my program, I said that it would be more human, more flexible, more practical,” Guilbault said. “Is it perfect? No.”
READ MORE: Ottawa invests $50M in flood-prevention measures in Quebec
She however insists that the new program works and is efficient. She added that the government is already preparing for potential floods next year.
The report says that the province has spent more than $4 million in compensation for victims in the greater Montreal area, including Pierrefonds-Roxborro and Île‑Bizarre-Ste-Geneviève, boroughs that suffered severe damages.
The ministry said that they have closed 216 out of the 361 claims they have received.
The report states that as of Dec. 9 the province has spent more than $211 million in compensation for victims across Quebec.
–With files from Global News’ Raquel Fletcher