'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.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
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.
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.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.