City not liable but flooding bills mount

Residents flooded in last summer’s two big rainstorms have collected nearly $3 million in compassionate grants. But damage claims against the city by insurance companies from nine other major storms since 2005 have so far all been denied.
    The July 26, 2009 downpour that flooded homes on the east mountain and lower east end of the city has resulted in 7,683 requests for the $1,000 per home compassionate grant offered by council. So far, half of those have been approved for nearly $2.9 million in payouts, says a report released earlier this month.
    The storm was described as a once–in–a–hundred–year event, as was a slightly smaller deluge on August 29.
    An increase in extreme weather is one of the predicted results of global climate change. A Conservation Ontario study has found sharp increases in precipitation from major rainstorms in the province.