Residents without home insurance left without aid

Residents without home insurance left without aid | Insurance Business Canada

Property

Residents without home insurance left without aid

Minister notes hitting a “roadblock” as he tries to seek funding

Property

By
Jonalyn Cueto

Residents in Enterprise, in the Northwest Territories (NWT) whose homes were uninsured when they burned in last summer’s wildfires, have learned they will not receive financial help to rebuild. The nearly complete destruction of the community last summer has left many households in dire straits.

Longtime resident Winnie Cadieux, a former mayor who ran a restaurant and art gallery, is among those who lost their homes. Cadieux revealed to CBC News that the final decision came from the territory’s Municipal and Community Affairs department at a meeting last Tuesday. During the meeting, residents were informed “face to face” that the federal government had decided there would be no assistance.

Cadieux pointed out the high cost of home insurance in Enterprise, with one quote for her home exceeding $7,000 a year. She stressed that support should be available for those devastated by the fires.

“We needed reassurance that what the prime minister told us when he was shaking our hands and looking at the devastation, that they were there to help us, that it was more than just words,” Cadieux said.

Supporting wildfire-hit households

NWT MP Michael McLeod criticized the territorial government for not presenting a plan for uninsured residents. He noted that while the federal Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements fund provides emergency funding, obtaining funds for new permanent homes requires a different process.

“The government of the Northwest Territories has not come forward with any kind of solution,” McLeod said. “The door seems to be no longer open for discussion, and that’s disappointing to hear.”

Vince McKay, the minister of municipal and community affairs, acknowledged that his department had been considering 43 uninsured properties in Enterprise, 19 of which are residential. McKay emphasized his efforts to find funding for uninsured residents but admitted hitting a roadblock.

“It’s a tough situation,” McKay said. “I did bring it to the departments to see if we could find funds to assist, and considering the government’s fiscal strategy that we’re going through right now, the funds aren’t available to uninsured properties.”

Enterprise Mayor Sandra McMaster shared the community’s disappointment. “There was a lot of disappointed people. A lot of sad people. But it also finalized it for them too,” she said, noting the particular difficulty for seniors who lost their homes.

Cadieux outlined the uncertainty facing many families. “We’d like to rebuild. We’d like to be back there. But I don’t know if we can,” she said.

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