A new low for Alberta Tories
The Government of Alberta's treatment of Cypress
County 2010 flood victims has dropped to a whole new level with bullying tactics
including the eviction of people still in temporary housing.
They're forcing people into accepting a settlement far below what it will cost to make their homes habitable because they have simply run out of time and options and the stress level, the victimized homeowners report, is intolerable.
The government bureaucrats who eventually arrived in Cypress County after the water subsided have enjoyed their day in the spotlight with photo ops. The glory of announcing $200 million for restoration to pre-flood condition is over.
Eighteen months later, with images of the raging flood waters and victims forgotten, they've paid out less than 20 per cent of the money promised and there are elements of tactics to punish those who dared to demand what they were promised.
The victims who could acquire second mortgages and lines of credit did so to get on with their lives. The claims process meant spending three or four hours a day dealing with officials from the Disaster Recovery Program. When the stress became unbearable most simply settled for less than they deserved so that their lives could return to some measure of normalcy.
For others it has been more difficult. Some didn't qualify for a second mortgage after financial institutions considered the condition of their property. They needed to negotiate with Disaster Recovery Program officials, get price quotes, submit them, negotiate what would be covered and what would not be covered before any work could begin.
One of the refrains from officials has been if victims did not like what was being offered they had the right to appeal for a ministerial review. Exactly what that entails nobody has been able to establish.
Paul and Twyla Huene submitted detailed documentation on their case and made several formal requests for a ministerial review before it was finally agreed to in December. Since then the Huenes have been ignored. Nobody, not even the minister himself, has responded to their questions regarding what the process will be. They don't know what documentation is being reviewed or by whom, they don't know if they will even be given an opportunity to provide personal input or how long the process will take. All formal requests for information have simply been ignored.
The government has not been accountable and definitely not transparent even though Premier Alison Redford promised her government would be.
(Gillian Slade is a reporter with the Medicine Hat News. You can comment on this and other editorials online at www.medicinehatnews.com/opinions)
They're forcing people into accepting a settlement far below what it will cost to make their homes habitable because they have simply run out of time and options and the stress level, the victimized homeowners report, is intolerable.
The government bureaucrats who eventually arrived in Cypress County after the water subsided have enjoyed their day in the spotlight with photo ops. The glory of announcing $200 million for restoration to pre-flood condition is over.
Eighteen months later, with images of the raging flood waters and victims forgotten, they've paid out less than 20 per cent of the money promised and there are elements of tactics to punish those who dared to demand what they were promised.
The victims who could acquire second mortgages and lines of credit did so to get on with their lives. The claims process meant spending three or four hours a day dealing with officials from the Disaster Recovery Program. When the stress became unbearable most simply settled for less than they deserved so that their lives could return to some measure of normalcy.
For others it has been more difficult. Some didn't qualify for a second mortgage after financial institutions considered the condition of their property. They needed to negotiate with Disaster Recovery Program officials, get price quotes, submit them, negotiate what would be covered and what would not be covered before any work could begin.
One of the refrains from officials has been if victims did not like what was being offered they had the right to appeal for a ministerial review. Exactly what that entails nobody has been able to establish.
Paul and Twyla Huene submitted detailed documentation on their case and made several formal requests for a ministerial review before it was finally agreed to in December. Since then the Huenes have been ignored. Nobody, not even the minister himself, has responded to their questions regarding what the process will be. They don't know what documentation is being reviewed or by whom, they don't know if they will even be given an opportunity to provide personal input or how long the process will take. All formal requests for information have simply been ignored.
The government has not been accountable and definitely not transparent even though Premier Alison Redford promised her government would be.
(Gillian Slade is a reporter with the Medicine Hat News. You can comment on this and other editorials online at www.medicinehatnews.com/opinions)
Comments
It is ridiculous.
Another job done well by our local representatives . I think a time for a change is past, and we better make the right vote in the upcoming elections.