HRM asking for buyout program for flooded Bedford homes

A “nice river walk” would be better than flooded houses in the floodplain along Union Street in Bedford, says the local councillor.

In order for the province to start thinking about a buyout program for property owners who suffered devastating flooding in July, it needs to start with an ask by the municipality, John Lohr, minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, recently told reporters.

So on Tuesday night, Coun. Tim Outhit (Bedford – Wentworth) asked council to get the ball rolling.

“We had people running for their lives — grabbing their seniors, grabbing their kids — in their bare feet running to the car, not being able to close the car door because of the water pressure and trying to get out of the neighbourhood,” he said of the flooding on July 21. About 295 millimetres of water fell on West Bedford in a short amount of time.

These homes — built in the ‘70s or earlier on a known floodplain — have seen flooding over and over again through the years. And it will only get worse.

“We know things are getting worse, we know things are getting more extreme and we know we’re going to have to do things differently: Where we build, how we build, how we equip our buildings, how we equip our fleets, etc. is all part of climate change.”

Outhit said the homes are not safe — they’re full of mould and mildew and other hazards.

“I wouldn’t let my dogs live in it,” Outhit said.

The ask

Outhit asked for a staff report on a “managed retreat as a climate adaptation approach to manage risks and impacts associated with extreme weather events in the municipality,” which passed unanimously.

And he also asked that Mayor Mike Savage write to Premier Tim Houston to work with them on a provincial buyout program specifically for the Union Street properties in Bedford modelled on a similar buyout program in Sydney in 2016 where, after the devastating Thanksgiving Day floods, the province purchased 18 properties.

“I hope we do set a precedent here.”

– Coun. Tim Outhit

That passed, with only Coun. Paul Russell (Lower Sackville) voting against it. 

Russell wanted to add a bunch of streets in Lower Sackville that were damaged by flooding. He said staff are working on a Sackville River floodplain study — which has been coming for some time — and they need to change the land-use bylaws in the area.

“The flood plain extends well beyond Bedford and there have been a number of properties in Lower Sackville and beyond (experiencing flooding).”

But Outhit said they want to start with Union Street as a pilot project before expanding to other flood-prone areas in HRM.

“I am very worried that if we send this off and we add a bunch of streets — myself included — that the province is going to run screaming from this before we even get to first base.”

Several councillors said they, too, had flood-damaged streets but agreed to start with Union Street and Russell’s amendment to add Lower Sackville streets was defeated.

Outhit said he believes this will be a starting point for other areas.

“I hope we do set a precedent here. That’s the purpose of this.”

Krista Higdon, spokesperson for the provincial Municipal Affairs and Housing department, said Nova Scotia does not maintain a program to purchase properties impacted by severe weather.

“Any decision to purchase affected properties would require an in-depth analysis of current impacts and potential future risks,” she wrote in an email.