Ontario will be saying goodbye to the Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Programnext year.
During an Association of Ontario Municipalities conference in Niagara Falls, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Ted McMeekin announced sweeping changes to the way the province handles disaster relief. It's news that's welcomed by local municipal officials, who still recall the effects of the devastating 2012 flood.
In the program's place, two new funds will be developed for municipalities experiencing natural disasters. It's a move welcomed in Northwestern Ontario, which experienced severe flooding in 2012, and was allocated more than $16 million in flood relief under the old program. The new Municipal Disaster Recovery Assistance program will change the way municipalities assess costs and submit requests for provincial help. Instead of a 14-day window, municipalities have up to four months to assess costs and ask for help.
Surrounding municipalities such as Conmee, Shuniah and Oliver Paipoonge were especially impacted by the assessment window and are welcoming the change.
The province will also introduce the Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians program, which deals with individual claims. That program will abolish a requirement for municipal volunteers to fundraise for matching provincial assistance.
The programs are set to be introduced in 2016. Until that time, the existing Disaster Relief Asssitance Program will remain in place.
