Over a year-and-a-half after floods devastated parts of the West Island, some residents still don’t know when they’ll be able to rebuild their homes.
For 18 months, Vasiliki Petrisi has stayed at her son’s home as she waited for word on what would happen to her home, which was severely damaged. Last week, what remained of the building was torn down. As the property is in a flood zone, she said the city barred her from rebuilding or selling the land to developers.
Facing a $1,900 property tax bill for land she can’t use, Petrisi agreed to sell the land to the city for a dollar 10 days ago.
“I try to see it as a movie, as somebody else’s problem, because if I take it seriously, I don’t know how I’ll handle it,” she said.
Down the street, Andre Lavigne is facing his own bureaucratic battle over his severely damaged property. Lavigne said he wants to rebuild, but this week, the municipal and provincial governments declined requests for construction permits, saying that only historical, cultural or heritage buildings are eligible when damaged so severely.
“It’s like camping, I don’t even have a bathroom counter at this point,” he said. “The furniture, we took out the piano with a sledgehammer.”
After taking office, Premier Francois Legault promised disaster victims he’d cut through red tape and reduce delays in getting compensation, but Pierrefonds residents said they’re still waiting.
“I go day by day, try to deal with the ministry,” said Petrisi. “So many papers, so much work, everything comes in French, it’s all legal. We have to pay notaries, we have to pay lawyers from our own pocket.”
Pierrefonds Mayor Jim Beis and Nelligan riding MNA Monsef Derraji did not respond to interview requests.
