Ontario providing $131 million in financial assistance from 2013 ice storm

The Ontario government has “offered final payments,” including $56.3 million to the City of Toronto, arising from an ice storm two years ago that left about 300,000 Toronto Hydro customers without power.

“Ontario has now offered final payments to all municipalities and conservation authorities impacted by the December 2013 ice storm through the province’s Ice Storm Assistance Program,” the provincial government stated in a release Friday. Last year, the province announced it would reimburse 100% “of eligible disaster response and recovery costs” through its Ice Storm Assistance Program.

On Dec. 21-22, 2013, more than 30 mm of freezing rain fell at Toronto Pearson International Airport, Environment Canada reported at the time.

About 300,000 customers “were impacted during the height of the storm,” Toronto Hydro-Electric System Ltd. reported at the time.

After Christmas of that year, RBC Insurance Services Inc. told Canadian Underwriter its customers submitted home and auto claims arising from falling trees and branches, as well as claims due to water pipes bursting and fires caused by candles.

Aviva Canada also received homeowner claims involving frozen pipes, fridge and freezer losses, damage to cars, sheds and homes due to falling trees and limbs.

In a release Dec. 17, 2015, the Ontario government said it offered payments to several municipalities and conservation authorities. Include were offers of $56.3 million to the City of Toronto and $9.8 million and $6 million respectively to cities of Vaughan and Markham, which border Toronto to the north. The Regional Municipality of York – the upper level of municipal government for Vaughan, Markham and towns to the north – was offered $2.2 million.

The province is also offering $15.8 million and $8.3 million to Brampton and Mississauga respectively, which border Toronto to the west. Their upper level of government – the Regional Municipality of Peel – has been offered $2.4 million.

Further west, the municipalities of Oakville and Milton were offered $6 million and $1.87 million respectively. Their upper tier of government – the Regional Municipality of Halton – was offered $2.8 million. East of Toronto, the Regional Municipality of Durham was offered $2 million and the City of Oshawa was offered $1.6 million. The City of Hamilton was offered $2 million.

“In total, 58 claims were received and the province is providing more than $131 million in financial assistance,” the government stated. “Ontario is committed to working with municipalities who may have outstanding questions about their final payment offers.”

Canada’s second most expensive natural disaster was an ice storm in January, 1998 which had insured losses of $1.5 billion, adjusted for inflation. Statistics Canada reported that the total water equivalent of precipitation (mostly freezing rain) exceeded 73 mm in Kingston, Ont., 85 mm in Ottawa and 100 mm areas south of Montreal. That storm was the most expensive until June, 2013, when southern Alberta was affected by flooding.