'We just wanted to feel like we had a home': Some Halifax wildfire victims choosing not to rebuild
As the year winds down, it seems some of the wildfire victims in the Halifax-area have chosen not to rebuild.
Most had vowed to stay after the smoke cleared, but months later, delays and frustrations have some cutting their losses and moving on.
“After being in five different rentals and feeling so displaced, we started to look for a house,” Amy Fletcher, a Highland Park property owner, told CTV News Monday.
“We just wanted to feel like we had a home.”
She and her family purchased a new home in Boutiliers Point and are settling in nicely.
Fletcher says there were growing disputes with the insurance company and disheartening news from the contractor they had been dealing with.
“When we spoke to the builder, he said, ‘I’m going to be transparent with you. It’s going to be two-and-a-half years.’ We already felt so displaced, we didn’t want to wait that long,” said Fletcher.
Work crews have been a familiar sight all over Hammonds Plains and Upper Tantallon, and likely will be the foreseeable future.
With more than 150 homes lost during the June wildfires, there's much to rebuild.
A backlog in insurance claims and heavy demand for construction crews aren’t helping, but the intention is there.
“Yeah, we’re coming back. A lot of people are picking up the pieces and moving on,” said area resident Brett Marrin.
“There’s some people that aren’t back in the homes yet - who still have homes. Those of us who have homes, most of us are back in, and we’re just trying to support those around who need the support right now,” he said.
Hammonds Plains - St. Margaret's councillor Pam Lovelace says she understands the frustration, but there are other factors at play.
“Obviously, the insurance industry is upended: Not only did they have the wildfire and the flood, hurricanes and so one and so forth, we just don’t have enough individuals in the insurance industry here in Nova Scotia to be able to respond quickly,” said Lovelace, adding she’s been disappointed with support offered by the province so far.
“We heard the announcement this morning: $1B dollars for housing. We've got 151 families that need support from the provincial government to be able to get back into their homes, to have their homes built. It’s extremely frustrating for these families to be left behind,” she said.
“I don't blame people for not wanted to wait - I completely understand. This is heart-wrenching for these families. This is a very difficult decision to make: ‘do we wait, or do we go?’ Obviously, everyone's circumstance is different, but they have to rebuild their lives.”
Fletcher says the family has slowly come to terms with the losses.
“It’s a lot less surreal than it was,” she said.
“It’s still sad. Things hit you after the fact. Sentimental things. The rest of it is just stuff.”
They’ve also come to terms with not returning to Hammonds Plains.
“It was home for the last ten years, but the new house that we got, we’ve already fallen in love, and we just think of it as a new start,” she said.
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Frozen waffles from Whole Foods join Canadian recall list over listeria concerns
Whole Foods Market is joining the growing list of brands whose frozen waffles have been recalled in Canada this week because of possible listeria contamination.
Lawsuit alleges Ontario man died after given 10 times prescribed dose in hospital
Angela Salvatore had been away from her father's hospital bedside for just over an hour when she says she got a frantic call from a nurse, pleading with her to calm him down.
Trump leaves Michigan rallygoers waiting in the cold for hours to tape Joe Rogan podcast
Many of Donald Trump’s supporters left a Michigan rally before he arrived after the former U.S. president kept them waiting for three hours to tape a popular podcast interview.
What we know about the Canadians busted in an international drug ring led by a former Olympic athlete
Canadian Ryan James Wedding finished in 24th place in the parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, but the snowboarder wouldn’t go on to improve his results in Torino four years later.
'Did he live? Did he die?': A decades-old mystery stretching from Manitoba to Ireland
The mystery of a 100-year-old letter sent from Manitoba to Ireland is slowly unraveling thanks to the work of one amateur sleuth.
How will the U.S. election affect the way Canadians vote?
As months, become weeks, become days left before this U.S. election cycle comes to an end, here's a look at what each outcome might mean for Canadian politics.
She connected on Instagram with a guy who lived in another country. Then they decided to meet up
In early 2018, Amanda and Sunil started chatting, messaging back and forth on Instagram, introducing themselves and talking a little about their lives. Fast forward to August 2018, the couple got engaged on vacation in Thailand and a year later, after Amanda moved to India, got married.
Here's what buyers should know before making a used car purchase in Canada
Based on initial appearances, there are signs indicating the automobile industry is in healthy shape – for now.
'If it were me, I'd be leaving': Longtime Liberal New Brunswick premier Frank McKenna on whether Trudeau should go
Former New Brunswick Liberal premier Frank McKenna says if he were in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s shoes, at this point in the government’s mandate, he would step down.