State of emergency still in effect in northern communities
Some communities in northeastern Ontario remain under a state of emergency due to last Friday’s rain.
Municipal officials said they’ve maintained the status in the event more precipitation creates further problems — expensive ones they can’t afford to repair on their own.
According to Ontario’s flood map, the Far North district remains under a flood watch.
Communities such as Kashechewan, Moosonee, Moose Factory and Attawapiskat are advised to monitor river conditions due to ice breakup in major tributaries.
Meanwhile, smaller municipalities such as Charlton and Dack Township, two hours south of Timmins, remains under a state emergency because it’s still uncovering issues with deteriorating roads.
“It's pretty early to speculate on all the damages, but we're probably well over 200,000, if not upwards of 500,000 of repairs that we're looking at,” said Charlton and Dack Mayor Reeve Sandra Parkin.
Some communities in northeastern Ontario remain under a state of emergency due to last Friday’s rain. (File)
“And, you know, when we have about 280 homes that contribute to our tax levy, that’s a huge portion of our annual budget, right? We just do not have the funds to bear that burden.”
Parkin said residents are being asked to limit their trips and do whatever they can to reduce the load on the roads and report any problem areas they see.
More rain ahead
In nearby Kirkland Lake, the state of emergency also remains in effect. While flooding no longer exists, the problems it created must be addressed, including bodies of water that are higher than normal and there’s more rain in the forecast.
Mayor Stacy Wight says her MPP was able to connect her with the minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
“So I was able to advocate on all of our behalf,” Wight said.
“I think we drove the issue that our infrastructure is in desperate need of more provincial funding, as well as smaller communities in the north simply cannot tax our way to current infrastructure. So definitely I advocated for throughout the north of our communities, possibly receiving more funding.”
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Wight is asking anyone who has video or photos of last week’s flooding to contact the town’s fire hall. She said they will help with their disaster funding claim.
Municipal officials said while this is an unusual situation, it’s been beautiful to see neighbours checking in on one another and helping each other.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump returns to his campaign facing a warning of jail time if he violates a trial gag order
Donald Trump on Wednesday will use a one-day break from his hush money trial to rally voters in the battleground states of Wisconsin and Michigan, a day after he was held in contempt of court and threatened with jail time for violating a gag order.
Ontario woman surprised after 20-year-old fines suddenly tank credit score
An Ontario woman says that she was shocked when fines from 20 years ago suddenly tanked her credit score last week, but the situation may not be as unusual as it seems, according to at least one debt expert.
Anger can harm your blood vessel function, study shows
Stress and anger can have a negative impact on cardiovascular health, studies have shown. New research points to just how the mechanism may work.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Swarm of bees delays Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Los Angeles game in Arizona. An 'MVP' beekeeper came to the rescue
Major League Baseball fans had an unexpected buzz on Tuesday after a swarm of bees delayed the Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Los Angeles Dodgers game for around two hours.
Newfoundland fisherman says police broke his leg during protest that delayed budget
Richard Martin is spending this year's fishing season on land after he says a Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer broke his left leg in three places during a protest last month that shut down the provincial legislature.
A 98-year-old in Ukraine walked miles to safety from Russians, with slippers and a cane
A 98-year-old woman in Ukraine who escaped Russian-occupied territory by walking almost 10 kilometres (six miles) alone, wearing a pair of slippers and supported by a cane has been reunited with her family days after they were separated while fleeing to safety.
It's opening day for the $34B Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion
Wednesday marks the official start date of the long-awaited $34-billion Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion project.
Will an 'out of sight, out of mind' cellphone policy make a difference in Ontario schools?
Ontario’s cellphone ban in schools has been met with mixed reaction, with some teachers concerned about constant policing of kids and experts applauding the change as necessary for student learning.