The leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party is calling on multiple levels of government to act quickly and provide emergency disaster assistance for communities in western Manitoba.
Dougald Lamont tells CKDM he’d like to see the provincial and federal government work together to help flooded communities recover.
“We’re talking about really big bills that municipalities don’t have the money for. We also need help for individuals, families, and businesses so they can get back on their feet. The province needs to step up right away, and so does the federal government.”
Lamont tells CKDM he hopes the provincial government “steps up quickly and doesn’t delay,” adding, “this is an emergency, and people need help right now.”
The MLA for St. Boniface visited some of the affected areas over the weekend, and gave an example of the grim situation one Minnedosa woman is facing.
“I was in the house of a woman who lost everything, and her insurance was capped out at $5,000. The insurance company said they don’t cover overland flooding — but she’s basically lost her entire house and it’s going to cost $100,000 to replace that.”
(Manitoba Liberal Party leader Dougald Lamont visits areas in Westman affected by flooding)
Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler said on Monday it’s too soon to announce any financial assistance, as we still don’t know the full extent of the damage. He is encouraging affected Manitobans to send in damage claims at this time.
