Brampton wants provincial help after ice storm costs exceed $50M
Posted January 8, 2014 3:31 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Toronto isn’t the only city seeking financial help from the province to cover the costs related to last month’s ice storm that downed hydro poles and tree limbs and left 300,000 customers without power for days.
Brampton city council voted unanimously on Wednesday to ask the province to help defray cleanup and recovery costs totalling $51 million following the Dec. 21, 2013, ice storm.
Mayor Susan Fennell said in a release that Brampton was one of the hardest-hit municipalities and that her staff estimates cleanup and recovery costs will exceed $51 million.
Staff also projects it’ll be 14-16 weeks before city trees are removed from roads and sidewalks and 18 months for parks, watercourses and valley lands.
The city will seek compensation through province’s Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program (ODRAP).
On Wednesday Mississauga city council also voted to ask the province to help cover their estimated $25 million clean up cost from the storm.
Mayor Hazel McCallion said she wants all of the affected municipalities in the GTA to go to the province together for disaster relief funding.
Toronto city councillors will hold a special council meeting on Friday to discuss the total cleanup and recovery costs which was initially estimated to be $75 million.
Mayor Rob Ford has said he would seek financial aid through the ODRAP.
What do you think are their chances of getting provincial help? Share your thoughts in the comments.