The MD of Bonnyville has been denied disaster recovery assistance by the Province of Alberta.
In the summer, the MD put in a request for disaster recovery assistance on behalf of their residents following abnormally high water levels at lakes across the MD, in particular, Moose Lake.
On Sept. 28, the MD received notice from the Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) that they did not qualify for the Disaster Recovery Program (DRP).
In order to quality for the program, the damage must be caused by an extraordinary event that threatens the economic viability of a number of residents, businesses, or municipalities.
The AEMA describes these types of events as meeting one in every 100-year streamflow levels or one in 50-year precipitation levels for a rural area.
Elevated soil moisture levels, which was what has been determined as the issue within the MD, does not constitute as a disaster event, said Heather Kaszuba, senior communications advisor with Alberta Municipal Affairs.
The damage within the MD, she continued, appears to have been caused by above-average, but not extraordinary, levels of precipitation.
“A professional hydrologist assessed the precipitation amounts and water levels and determined that the event cannot be connected to a specific extraordinary disaster event.”
MD of Bonnyville Reeve Ed Rondeau expressed his disappointment with the government's decision.
If their application had been successful, residents who had damage to their homes, properties, or businesses caused by the moisture levels could have applied for financial assistance.
“We're going to keep pushing. We're going to ask the province to reconsider, and we will keep pushing to see if we can get something. Right now, what it means is residents can't apply for any assistance for the damage that they have,” Rondeau said. “If we had been accepted, then they still couldn't have applied personally, but they could have come to the MD and applied through the MD.”
Each application submitted would have been assessed individually. However, because the municipality has been denied assistance, residents are unable to apply at all.
Rondeau recommends residents call the AEMA to express their disappointment with the decision.
He hopes that if enough people call, the province will reconsider.
“That's about their only choice. Our hands are tied,” Rondeau continued.
Council will continue their efforts on behalf of residents.
“There's no choice left for residents. If they had a choice, even if they could apply through the MD and each could be reviewed independently, they could still be turned down, but at least they could have gone through the process and had some possibility. Right now, there is no possibility,” said Rondeau. “If the government doesn't change their take on this, residents have no choice.”
