Richmond Hill asking province for $3.25M for ice storm


Yorkregion.com
Feb. 6, 2015
By Kim Zarzour

The Town of Richmond Hill is still waiting for a response from the province to its claim of $3.25 million to help pay for the ice storm clean-up.

The severe ice storm of December 2013 resulted in damage to 200,000 trees on private and public property throughout the municipality and left 36,000 of the town’s 60,000 PowerStream customers without power.

In total, the storm cost the town about $7 million, including the cost to replace trees.

Last February, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing announced that up to $190 million in funding would be made available to municipalities through a one-time Ice Storm Assistance Program.

The cost to replace the tree canopy lost as a result of this storm is not an eligible expense under the program.

The majority of damaged trees related to the storm have been repaired or removed, according to a report presented to council Jan. 26.

About 1,000 of those trees were ash trees and will be funded from the Emerald Ash Borer program.

The final phases of recovery include stump removal and clean up. Replanting of trees will begin in spring of this year and may take up to two years to complete, the report said.

The province has not indicated how long the review process for claims will take or when municipalities may expect to receive payments.