Ontario activates financial assistance program for flood victims
Program will cover some of costs associated with the recent flooding, including emergency expenses and repairing or replacing damaged items

metronews.ca
By Alex Abdelwahab
May, 14 2017

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs has activated the Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians program for those affected by the recent flooding.

The program offers financial assistance to individuals (homeowners and tenants), small owner-operated businesses, farms and not-for-profit organizations to cover emergency expenses and repair or replace essential property damaged by a natural disaster.

Residents of the City of Ottawa, City of Clarence-Rockland, Township of Alfred and Plantagenet and Township of Champlain can apply for assistance. The deadline for applications is Monday, Sept. 11.

Accessing the program:

The program is meant to reimburse some of the flooding costs, not covered by insurance. Residents can find the necessary forms to apply at Ontario.ca/disasterassistance.

But actually getting any money back will require proof. According to the ministry’s website, information and documents needed to support an application include:

• Proof of identity and address
• Photographs of damage to property
• Records of hours spent on emergency cleanup
• Copies of receipts and invoices for all costs incurred
• Estimates from qualified contractors for repairs not yet completed
• A letter from your insurance company detailing the type and cause of damage or loss, the amount covered under insurance, and the reason any portion of the damage or loss was not covered

It is possible to submit separate applications under two categories of coverage, such as both a homeowner and a small-business owner.

What’s covered?

The program will only provide assistance for essential property at primary residences, or the main premises of an eligible small business, farm, or not-for-profit organization. That means the property must be lived in or occupied on a day-to-day basis.

Essential property includes things like furnaces, hot water tanks, washers and dryers, according to Stephen Seller, municipal advisor with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs.

Damage to furniture such as a bed in a basement bedroom, will only be considered if someone sleeps there every night, Seller said.

A $500 deductible is applied to each application, and the province will only cover up to 90 per cent of the eligible costs. There is $250,000 cap on each application.

What’s not covered?

Damage to secondary residences, like a cottage are not covered under the program.

The province will not cover the costs of items deemed non-essential, like vehicles, driveways, jewellery, collectibles and most electronics.

The program will also not the cover costs of any item already covered by insurance.