Fort McMurray flood victims won't have to repay disaster funding, minister says

Fort McMurray flood victims who were told they would need to give back thousands of dollars given out through the Disaster Recovery Program will get to keep the money, Municipal Affairs Minister Kaycee Madu said Thursday. 

On July 17, several Fort McMurray residents received a call from the program saying they needed to return the $5,000 cheque they received as advance emergency relief funding. 

But Madu took to Twitter to say he won't let that happen. 

"Flood victims will not be subject to these kinds of bureaucratic quagmires under my watch," he wrote. 

He said the program "will not be clawing back these advance payments." 

• Alberta government asks some Fort McMurray flood victims to repay disaster funding

In his posts on social media, Madu said so far there have been 132 advance payments made to flood victims, totalling about $590,000. 

"Our government vowed to get the people of northern Alberta back on their feet following this disaster event, and that's exactly what we're going to do."

But some flood victims are still wary about what this means for their applications. 

Gary Laine was sent a $5,000 cheque, but didn't get to cash it before the DRP called and told him it was cancelled. 

Now he wants to know if he will be sent a new cheque and if he will be eligible for more funding. 

Madu's press secretary Timothy Gerwing said in a statement people who were not able to cash the cheques will "receive the payments they were promised in good faith."

Madu was not available for an interview.

Gerwing confirmed nine flood victims were asked to return the advance payment. The department is "taking steps to ensure this doesn't occur again," he wrote.

"I'm totally impressed that he's [Madu] actually going to help us little people out a little bit," said Laine.  

So far he hasn't been contacted by anyone from the program.

Christian Hansen had already cashed his cheque when the program called him and told him to give the money back.

Hansen said he relieved he won't have to repay the money, but he still has concerns. 

"It makes me feel a little bit better that they're not going to be tracking me down and trying to pull dollars out of my pocket, but … is that going to be all of the funding that we get?" 

The program told him that he wasn't eligible for funding because his home was hit with sewer backup water, not flooding. Sewer backup insurance is available in Alberta. 

But his insurance wouldn't provide any money, stating he doesn't have coverage for damage that is caused directly or indirectly from flooding.