Langford renters suffering hardship after a water main burst and flooded their homes will get some relief after council voted unanimously Monday night to provide $10,000 in emergency funds.
Langford Mayor Stew Young said after reading stories in the Times Colonist on Sunday about the plight of Strathmore Road residents in the aftermath of a flood on Feb. 19, he felt the city had to do something.
“I can’t hear those stories you wrote and not do something,” he said. “The system relies on people having insurance. But when, unfortunately, we’re in a housing crisis, you don’t have insurance because you’re paying your rent. I get it.”
The funds will come from general revenue, Young said, and won’t result in a tax increase.
Depending on response, up to $1,000 will be available for a household that is renting and experiencing extreme financial hardship in paying living expenses or costs related to the flood.
The fund is not intended for absentee homeowners or to pay for structural repairs, Young said.
“I hope the public supports it,” he said. “I can’t take the place of an insurance plan — the taxpayers of Langford will not be doing that in any situation.” The funds will be distributed through Langford Emergency Social Services based on hardship and need.
“This is a one-off emergency plan,” Young said.
A Capital Regional District water main broke on Feb. 19 on Strathmore Road at Goldstream Avenue, flooding houses, townhouses, businesses, and a condominium underground parking garage and storage room.
Repairs for most homes are expected to take months to complete, and some people have been forced to move out.
Dustin Player, a father of four young children who didn’t have renter’s insurance, called the emergency funding “fantastic.”
His garage-turned-recreation room was flooded and everything was lost. He said he is using space heaters to keep the home warm while an oil tank is replaced.
Shawn Pomeroy owns his townhome and has insurance, but has been out of work for about eight months due to illness. Cash-strapped, he has slept in his kitchen, at friends’ homes and one night in his car since the flood, he said.
The CRD says it is not legally liable for damages arising from a breakdown or malfunction of a water system, under the Local Government Act.
The local government must be negligent in its maintenance of the system to be liable, said Ted Robbins, the CRD’s general manager of Integrated Water Services. “We don’t consider there to be any negligence in this case.”
The law exists so districts and cities aren’t bankrupted by such events, Young said, “but there has to be compassion.”
“Langford is going to bend the rules in this case,” he said. “We’re in uncharted territory here.”
Emergency Social Services did an exemplary job responding to the needs of residents on the night of the flood and for 72 hours after, Young said, adding CRD and Langford crews worked through the night to stop the flooding and make repairs.
Lance May, whose basement family room was flooded, said as a lifelong Langford resident, he’s not surprised the mayor would offer emergency help. “He’s always had an ear for the community and stood up for the community,” he said.
Renters experiencing hardship because of the flooding can apply for one-time funding by writing to Braden Hutchins at [email protected] or by calling city hall at 250-478-7882.
