It's been months since the waters that overtook many Gatineau streets receded but the work to rebuild is far from over.
Pointe Gatineau resident Yvan Legault is one of more than a dozen residents with homes that are cannot be built. Legault said the government told him his home of 12 years is located in a floodplain and is too expensive to rebuild. Last week, he was ordered to demolish the home.
"We decided to leave because it was too hard to see your house going down," he said. "At our age it was kind of our money for when we get old. The house was paid for and everything was okay. We were happy."
Since May, Legault has been living in a hotel. He has been promised money from the government to compensate for the demolition but says he has yet to find out exactly how much money he will be getting and when.
"What bugs me with this is that the little money they will give us, we can't get another house. We have to remortgage the one we have and we just finished our mortgage five years ago," he added.
At least a dozen homes around Rue Saint Louis in Gatineau have been condemned by the government and slated for demolition. The residents have been told the government will not rebuild on the land and that the vacant plots may be turned into parks.
For residents who are allowed to rebuild, there are concerns about dropping property values as well as fears about future floods.
"Winter is coming so I'm trying to insulate it," said Francis Montreuil, about his home. "I'm staying in it and I have to work out of it."
Montreuil's house was flooded and he is still in the process of finishing the renovations needed to move back in fully. He said he's worried about what the neighbourhood will look like once the houses around him have been torn down.
"It's going to be like a huge, empty land. A lot of grass," he said. " What is going to happen?"
Many residents said they are upset with the lack of information provided of all levels of government about why the water hit so quickly and caused so much damage.
