'We are losing faith': Cape Breton family's Fiona damage gets worse
More than four months after Hurricane Fiona hit Atlantic Canada, people are still dealing with damaged homes as they wait for help from insurance companies and provincial aid programs.
Thomas Lynk and his young family are one of many still waiting for help and as time goes on, their living conditions are only getting worse.
"We are losing faith. To be honest with you, we are losing faith," Lynk said.
Last week, water spilled through the ceiling of Lynk's home into buckets below.
Since then, another big rainstorm passed through the area, causing the already damaged part of the ceiling to become worse.
"Parts of the ceiling has collapsed and almost hit me," Lynk said. “Thank God the kids weren't there.”
The area's MLA has tried to help the family for months. He was shocked to see the latest damage.
"They need the help and they need it now," said Fred Tilley, the Northside-Westmount Liberal MLA. "And just the red tape of this situation is, again, the only word I can use is unacceptable."
On Tuesday, a Louisbourg, N.S., couple who have been unable to live in their home since Fiona shared their story with CTV Atlantic.
A day later, another family in the community came forward with insurance frustrations.
"I need my house to be completely done over. I need a new barn. I need a new fence," said homeowner Glenn Shepard.
Shepard said he lost thousands of dollars in valuables inside his barn, and his basement is damaged.
However, he has yet to receive an insurance offer that satisfies him.
"They only offered me a quarter of what I'm asking for. I'm fighting them, and I'm not backing down, not one little bit," Shepard said.
Nova Scotia's Office of the Superintendent of Insurance told CTV News in an email that the province saw an unprecedented number of claims following Fiona.
Still, they expect insurance companies to be responsive and provide timely information.
They add the office has received only one Fiona-related complaint, and that they are working on a resolution.
As for the Lynk family, they say an insurance adjustor visited their home last week but they haven't heard anymore since.
Now, they face this weekend's minus 20 degree temperatures in poor living conditions.
"We should be able to manage, but if it comes down to it, we do have a place where my wife and the kids can go," Lynk said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.