County, municipalities get money for ice storm costs   

NorthumberlandToday.com
Sept. 22, 2015
Valerie MacDonald

More than $300,000 has been reimbursed to Northumberland County and some of its member municipalities to help address extraordinary costs associated with the December 2013 ice storm.

When asked why it has taken so long for the money to come from the provincial government, local MPP Lou Rinaldi said that “it took so long because municipalities took a long time to submit” their claims.

“Some had to be chased, like Cobourg,” he said.

In addition, Rinaldi said that the submissions under the Ice Storm Assistance Program had to be checked at both the provincial and federal government levels, because there was federal financial assistance involved.

The process will be changing to make it easier in the future to submit claims after disasters like ice storms and floods, Rinaldi also said.

To date, the Municipality of Port Hope has received the most money at $164,949 but this is described as interim funding with the final amount still being processed, according to a media release from Rinaldi’s office. Interim funding has also been received by Cobourg ($89,612), Hamilton Township ($19,201) and by Alnwick / Haldimand Township ($10,378).

Northumberland County has received $37,082 “to cover eligible response and recovery costs that were incurred as a result of the storm,” states the release. These costs include establishing warming centres and cleaning up debris.

The Province of Ontario decided in February 2014, several months after the devastating ice storm, that it would pay 100% of eligible expenses borne by municipalities and the federal government is reimbursing the provincial government for a percentage of those.