'Struggling and fearful': Some Maritimers still waiting for answers about Fiona financial assistance
Bob Boutilier from Glace Bay, N.S., is still waiting for financial assistance to fix damage done to his home by post-tropical storm Fiona more than two months ago.
“The roof completely has to be replaced. New shingles, plywood, I need a new roof,” he said.
The 76-year-old doesn't have insurance and lives on a fixed income. The repairs are beyond his means and he's not alone.
“There's been quite a bit of communication coming through my office and through the communication lines of my council colleagues,” said Cape Breton Regional Municipality Mayor Amanda McDougall.
McDougall says a lot of residents are still trying to access disaster relief assistance.
She's not surprised the process has taken a while, but says it needs to speed up.
“People are really struggling and fearful. They're fearful for the change of season, for the cold to set in, for more storms to come, and the inability to get all of the repairs done and support that is necessary,” said McDougall.
The Canadian Red Cross stopped accepting new registrations for Fiona assistance as of 5 p.m. Friday, which they say will allow their team to devote its full attention to finalizing existing registrations.
“We have, to date, distributed more than $51 million to about 92,000 households,” said Dan Bedell, a spokesperson for the Canadian Red Cross.
Major repairs to homes are not part of that funding.
“We're not providing funds for the rebuilding of homes and things like that. Those are government programs,” said Bedell.
The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency announced a $300 million fund for communities and businesses in the region, but Boutilier is not sure whether he qualifies for any of it.
“I just don't understand why the bureaucracy takes forever. It's in plain sight for people to see the damage and what has to be done,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
Boeing is on the verge of launching astronauts aboard new capsule, the newest entry to space travel
It’s the first flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule with a crew on board, a pair of NASA pilots who will check out the spacecraft during the test drive and a weeklong stay at the space station.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.