Open Letter to the Premier re: Windsor flooding assistance

Find below an open letter from Leader of the Official Opposition Patrick Brown to Premier Kathleen Wynne regarding the flooding in Windsor.

Dear Premier Wynne,

More than 5,000 basements were flooded by a record-breaking rainfall in Windsor-Essex, and now after a week has gone by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs confirmed homeowners affected will be able to apply to Ontario’s Disaster Recovery Assistance program.

This program exists to assist people when they’re affected by events like the flood in Windsor-Essex. However, there are flaws in the program as too many families have been excluded from assistance in the past. This was, after all, the second time in less than a year that thousands of homes in Windsor-Essex have been affected by excess water.

For example, in 2016 there were 583 people who applied for flooding assistance, but only 122 were approved. Far too many people were turned down, even after having gone through an assessment.

I have serious questions about the effectiveness of this program, and the lack of a sufficient response from this Liberal government.

It’s wasteful for families to take the effort to fill out the paperwork for this program in hopes of getting back on their feet, only for it to be turned down.

I’m calling on you to take real action to help when so many families are suffering. People who need help aren’t getting help. The point of disaster relief is that when a disaster occurs, relief needs to be available – it can’t be a false promise.

Sincerely,

Patrick Brown
Leader of the Official Opposition
MPP, Simcoe North