Eight years after initial claims for damages, the province of New Brunswick will finally receive federal compensation for the floods of 1999 and 2000. The extreme delay has resulted in future streamlining, although the recent flood was not addressed.
In an astounding example of bureaucratic (in)action, the Canadian Federal Government has finally released funds to compensate New Brunswick for damage assistance that was incurred as a result of floods in autumn of 1999 and early winter of 2000. It appears that
eight years were required to collect and verify receipts for that assistance.
According to federal Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, "We have to wonder why in some cases it takes so long, and honestly, the federal government waits for receipts to come." One can safely assume that both provincial and federal authorities had to verify the validity of these receipts, but as the final tally was only $ 1.6 million, it begs the question, "What took so long?"
It's common in cases of public emergency for local agencies and authorities to be the immediate responders. When required, they apply to regional governments for the necessary funding, who in turn forward requests to the federal level. Allowing for proper record-keeping along the route, bureaucratic wrangling, and discounting any possible "padding" of said receipts, it is safe to assume that all costs associated with these damages were properly itemized and forwarded to the federal government by the end of 2001. No answer was forthcoming from Day regarding the missing seven years.
"People who have been through the more recent floods that qualify for the federal program, I can tell you, they can expect their cheques in a more rapid fashion than in the years past," said Day in this
report by the CBC. He also assured those in attendance at his announcement that "changes to disaster assistance arrangements", coming into effect in 2009, will hopefully speed up that process.
This is good news for New Brunswickans, as we have
recently survived the worst flood in over two decades. With repairs estimated in the $ Millions for residents, businesses and municipalities, it is certain that the federal government will be receiving more "receipts" from the provincial government. This is especially concerning for residents without private home or renter's content insurance. The capital city of Fredericton has responded with an
emergency relief fund, with low deductibles, for local citizens; in order to qualify for this assistance, applicants are required to officially register their claims. As of May, there was no indication as to the predicted term of this program.
Similar programs, undoubtedly, have been set up in regions throughout the province. Perhaps the final bill for flood victims will be settled prior to 2016.
