COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
	TO:	Mayor and Members of Council
	FROM:	Jim Sales, Commissioner, Community & Fire Services
	PREPARED BY:	Peter Loukes, Director, Operations & Asset Management
	DATE OF MEETING:	September 1, 2005
	SUBJECT:	Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program (ODRAP)

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT Council approve the following resolution;

“WHEREAS the Town of Markham experienced a rain storm in excess of a 100 year storm on Friday, August 19, 2005;

AND WHEREAS significant damages were sustained from the August 19, 2005, rain storm;

NOW THEREFORE be it resolved that the Council of the Town of Markham hereby requests the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to declare Wards 1, 2, 7, and 8 a “disaster area” for the purposes of the Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program (ODRAP);”

AND THAT, should the Minister declare a disaster, Council will immediately, under the authority of ODRAP, appoint members to a disaster relief committee to administer ODRAP, as required.

PURPOSE:

Staff is investigating the declaration of a disaster in order to acquire provincial funding to assist the Town, and Town residents and businesses in Wards 1, 2, 7, and 8 for damages sustained in the August 19, 2005, rain storm.

Resolutions must be passed by Council and forwarded to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing within 14 working days of the disaster event (i.e. by September 9, 2005).

The Province will contribute up to $2.00 for every dollar raised, to an amount necessary to settle all the eligible claims, up to 90% of all eligible private costs. No surplus funds are to be created.

BACKGROUND:

The Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program (ODRAP) is a provincial financial assistance program intended to alleviate the hardship suffered by private homeowners, farmers, small business enterprises and non-profit groups whose essential property has been damaged in a sudden and unexpected natural disaster.

The Program only applies to unexpected natural calamities including severe windstorms, tornadoes, floods, forest fires and ice storms.

ODRAP provides assistance when damages are so extensive that they exceed the financial resources of the affected individuals, the municipality and community at large.

ODRAP provides funds to those who have sustained heavy losses for essential items such as shelter and the “necessities of life” to help eligible recipients restore essential furnishings and property only to pre-disaster condition. Refer to Attachment ‘A’ as to the guidelines for eligible and ineligible losses and costs.

ODRAP does NOT:

• Provide full cost recovery for all damages resulting from a disaster;
• Cover damages to privately-owned, non-essential property; and
• Cover damages to essential property where private insurance is normally available (i.e. non-essential furniture such as stereos and recreation room furniture, landscaping, fencing, driveways, retaining walls, antiques, loss of revenue or wages, personal injury, private roads/bridges and erosion and sewage backup)

OPTIONS/DISCUSSION:

In discussion with a Municipal Affairs and Housing Advisor, the criteria include having at least 4% of the total municipal assessment base affected by the disaster. We are selecting Wards 1, 2, 7 and 8 to be designated for assistance in our resolution. Wards 1 and 2 alone represent approximately 20% of our total assessment base, so we do meet that portion of the criteria.

It is also expected that the municipality have funds available for use for unexpected events, but if there is a severe impact on the assessment base that exceeds our financial resources, then disaster relief can be applied for. At the present time, we expect an approximate cost for our own repairs to be near $3M (we do not know at this time what will be covered by our own insurance). This amount does not include repairs that may not be discovered in our infrastructure until next spring and does not include any repairs/replacements above and beyond the private residential and business insurance policies that our ratepayers are experiencing.

It is recommended that we apply under the ODRAP Program and provide the required information to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to ensure we apply within the stipulated time frame to protect the interests of our residents.

The following are the stakeholder roles and responsibilities that are considered when ODRAP determines if we qualify for a disaster declaration.

Individuals:

• Individuals are expected to take reasonable precautions to ensure their own safety and protection of their personal items and property in the event of a natural disaster by means of:

o Obtaining adequate private insurance coverage; and

o Practicing sound risk management.

Municipality/Community:

· If losses are extensive that individuals cannot cope on their own, the municipality and the community at large are expected to provide support.

· If municipalities have experienced extraordinary damage to public infrastructure due to a natural disaster, they should contact their local Municipal Services Office of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing to determine if sustained damages may be eligible for assistance.

Provincial/Federal:

• If the scale of the disaster were too extensive for the local community to adequately address, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing would provide financial assistance to the municipalities and private citizens through the ODRAP program

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:

Opportunity for residents, businesses and the Town to recover costs associated with damages sustained from the August 19, 2005 rain storm under the Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program.

BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:

Finance Department and Clerks Department have been consulted and concur with the direction of this report.

ATTACHMENTS:

‘A’ – Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program (ODRAP) Provincial Guidelines

Peter Loukes, Director, Operations & Asset Management

Jim Sales, Commissioner, Community & Fire Services

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