Residents of one community in High River are overjoyed that officials are going to bat for them despite being in the flood fringe, but another community wants their homes saved from demolition.
In a town meeting on Tuesday night, residents of Wallaceville learned the town approved a motion to turn their community back into a park and petition the province to buy out those homeowners.
Every year, Wallaceville faces the threat of flooding. Officials say that they have reservations about whether the community can or can’t be protected from future disaster.
“I just couldn’t be happier,” says Leigh Monette, a resident of Wallacevile.
According to the province’s maps, Wallaceville is in the flood fringe, but the community of Beechwood Estates sits in a floodway.
During flooding in June, residents there say their homes escaped with relatively minor damage and were among the first in the town to return home.
They’ve been offered buyouts by the province and have until the end of November to sign up to be eligible.
At that time, the province will demolish perfectly livable homes, buying out their owners for 60 cents on the dollar.
Town officials say that it’s feasible that flood mitigation will be able to protect that community from future flooding.
Dr. Brian Jensen, who lives in Beechwood Estates says it’s nothing to do with getting money from the province. “It’s just the right to live there in the same protection as the rest of the town, the same roles, be consistent. I really don’t understand why they can’t do that.”
Despite a few exceptions, people in Beechwood are frustrated that they’re being coerced into taking the buyout.
The neighbourhood’s developer and former mayor of High River says provincial officials need to update their maps.
“The decisions relative to buyouts following the flood of 2013 were made with information that was both outdated and inaccurate,” Les Rempel says.
According to the province’s rules, residents who choose not to take a buyout forfeit all future financial help from Alberta when and if another flood hits.
