Burlington, Ont., Sept. 25, 2014 – On Sept. 22, Burlington City Council approved a grant program that will help qualified homeowners cover the cost of building permit fees related to the Aug. 4 flooding.
The eligible building permit fee costs are related to:
• Restoration work required as a result of the flooding and water damage
• Flood prevention work
“As residents are cleaning up and restoring their homes after the Aug. 4 flood, there will be some who require building permits for the construction work,” said Scott Stewart, general manager of infrastructure and development. “This grant will cover the cost of the building permit for that restoration work. The program will also assist with the cost of building permits related to work that helps reduce the risk of future flooding, such as the installation of backwater valves and sump pumps, or the disconnection of weeping tiles from the sanitary or storm water drains.”
The program will be available until Dec. 24, 2015.
Residents interested in applying for the building fee grant program can call the city’s building department at 903-335-7600.
Background
The storm of Aug. 4, 2014, dropped nearly 191 millimetres of rain over parts of Burlington in about eight hours. The city activated its Emergency Operations Centre, the Burlington Fire Department responded to emergencies across the city and the city’s roads and parks maintenance staff moved quickly to close affected roads and respond to urgent flood conditions and hazards.
The city applied for Ontario Disaster Relief Program (ODRAP) funding from the province. To be eligible, a community-led committee must raise money that ODRAP could match 2:1. The Burlington Community Foundation fundraising campaign has a goal of $2 million to help pay for the urgent needs of those affected by the flood.
The city and Halton Region hired the Canadian Red Cross to conduct door-to-door visits of nearly 11,000 homes in the flood-affected areas. Samaritan’s Purse organized volunteers to clean up homes, especially basements impacted by flood damage. The Burlington Firefighters’ Association volunteers helped with the cleanups.
The city and the region both set up website pages to provide storms updates at www.burlington.ca/flood and www.halton.ca/flood.
How to Help
Donations to the Burlington Community Foundation’s flood relief campaign can be made by visiting www.burlingtonfoundation.org/flood.
Residents and businesses that have items or services to donate can post their information at www.burlington.ca/flood on the city’s Community Bulletin Board.
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Communications contact:
Sharon Will
Communications Advisor
Office: 905-335-7600, ext. 7483
email: sharon.will@burlington.ca
Media contact:
Scott Stewart
General Manager, Development and Infrastructure
Office: 905-335-7600, ext. 7839
Email: scott.stewart@burlington.ca
