Flood displaces more than 40 vulnerable Ottawa residents
More than 40 Ottawa residents have been forced from their homes and are facing an uncertain future after a flood in their building over the weekend.
A pipe burst at an Ottawa Salus building on Saturday morning during the extreme cold weather, flooding four floors of residences and offices. The building on Scott Street is part of a network of affordable and supportive housing for those dealing with addiction and mental health challenges.
Ottawa Salus’s executive director Mark MacAulay saying the flood has been devastating for the building's 42 residents.
“They really want to come home and have their home and have their belongings and be back there, and that’s something they are not sure of right now," MacAulay said. "So we have to reassure them every day."
The tenants have limited income and many of them receive ODSP. Ottawa Salus is appealing to the community for financial support.
“The biggest thing right now is if people can donate money to help support the transition for them as we have to look at temporary housing," MacAulay said. "We will need to move them to the new housing help pay for them to stay, then move them back here once repairs are complete."
The pipe was part of the sprinkler system on the fourth floor, cracked by ice and flooding almost every space, leaving inches of water in the basement. Ottawa Salus’s property manager says the elevator, floors, walls and ceilings throughout the building will need to be repaired or replaced.
A flood-damaged hallway at Ottawa Salus on Scott Street. (Shaun Vardon/CTV News Ottawa)
Most residents did not have insurance to cover the damage to personal items, so many will be looking for the basics to help rebuild their lives once they can return to their units. Residents will be in limbo for the foreseeable future, as they do not have a timeline for when repair work will start or be finished.
MacAulay says Ottawa Salus started out small with just one house, and now provides homes and support to more than 700 people across the capital.
“We are focused on helping people to be resilient, to rejoin and reconnect with their community,” MacAulay said. “To live the life they want to live in the best possible way."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.