A Pointe Claire couple who have been staying in a hotel since last year’s floods severely damaged their home said they don’t know where they’ll go now that the Quebec government said they will no longer pay for their accomodations.
Vasilik Petrisi and her husband said they have nowhere else to go and have been given the runaround by the provincial government since being forced to abandon their house last year. Petrisi said the city initially told her she would be able to repair the house, but would have to raze it to the ground first.
The couple paid $9,000 for a construction permit out of pocket and were set to hire an architect to draw up plans as well.
It was then they were told they couldn’t rebuild and the provincial government wouldn’t reimburse them. Government officials soon changed their tune and said they would buy the house from Petrisi and her husband, which would give them the cash to buy a new place.
However, a meeting with a government representative left the two confused.
“One paper said one number, the other paper had another number and it was all legal,” said Petrisi. “I told her that I‘m sorry, I can’t sign these papers, we have to give them to somebody to read these for us, probably a lawyer. She wasn’t pleased at all and said ‘It’s your right to do it, but you’re delaying everything.’”
As the couple sought counsel to determine what the papers meant, the government informed them they would no longer pay for the hotel. The couple said, with no family to turn to and unable to afford the hotel on their own, they could be forced to move back into the house, which has no electricity or running water.
On Friday, Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux admitted communication with flood victims has been a problem and announced a revamping of the flood compensation program. It’s unclear how that revamping will affect Petrisi and her husband.
