Destroyed cottages now gone, owners still waiting for Fiona compensation

Cottage owners who suffered "catastrophic losses" in post-tropical storm Fiona should be compensated even if the damage was to a secondary residence. 

That's the position of the Seasonal Residents of P.E.I. (SRPEI), as well as the association that represents one of the areas hardest hit by the September storm. 

Cottages that were swept away from the Hebrides community during Fiona were removed this week from where they have been resting since the storm, several kilometres away.

"We have a handful of members who had really significant loss," said Jen Harding, SRPEI president.

"They are, in some cases, still waiting for insurance claims to have gone through. Until they've gone through the insurance claim and been rejected, you can't take that next step," Harding said.

"The issue being, for secondary properties, there's no fund right now federally or provincially that would cover any of the losses that aren't covered by insurance."

Very small number

Harding said a compensation program could be targeted at secondary property owners who were hardest hit. 

"The focus of any of those funds should be for people for whom it is their primary residence," Harding said.

"The exception, at least in my mind, is for people where they've suffered absolutely catastrophic loss. There's examples of those in Hebrides, and a few elsewhere, where the entire cottage is gone or destroyed.

"If they were impacted by things that aren't covered by insurance, people are left then with giving up homes that potentially have been in their family for many, many decades," Harding said.

"It's a very small number of people, and does not eat into the funds for primary homes, which obviously should be the priority."

Harding said she's hoping new federal disaster relief could potentially be directed to secondary property owners.

"There is hope that there might be some traction there for the small number of people, whether they're seasonal residents or Islanders, for whom it's their second property," Harding said. 

"It's not just a seasonal resident question."

Cottages gone

With the damaged cottages gone from Campbellton Road, the president of the Hebrides Homeowners' Association said that leaves those owners with few options. 

"It's my understanding that very few of them have actually heard back from their insurance company one way or another, or if they have, it's been no, you're not insured," said Jim Randall, association president. 

"Having them taken away probably means that they're not going to get anything from their insurance company."

Randall's insurance company has already turned down his claim. The remains of his cottage have also been removed from the road through Hebrides where it landed during the storm. 

"I think there's a bigger sort of almost emotional blow for people like myself and others, and that is that sense of loss of community," Randall said.

"I don't know whether we're even going to see the people any longer once their cottage is gone. It's also that sense of loss of these people that you've known, and trusted for decades."

Randall said he believes there should be financial support for himself and other cottage owners who are left with nothing after Fiona, a point he made to a standing committee of the P.E.I. Legislature in October. 

"I used the word catastrophe, or catastrophic, when I was interviewed in the standing committee, and I think this is a catastrophe for those people that are affected," Randall said.

"Through no fault of their own, everybody had insurance, they've lost a big chunk of their life savings, and their emotional lives.

Through no fault of their own, everybody had insurance, they've lost a big chunk of their life savings, and their emotional lives.—Jim Randall, Hebrides Homeowners' Association 

"I think when there's catastrophic situations like this, there should be some support program in place."

Future cottages

Randall said the P.E.I. government should also be more clear with its plans for climate adaptation, about where cottagers can build. 

"Our places are probably uninsurable even if we did rebuild, and it may be difficult to get a development permit. And, as I understand it, you can't even armour some places now," Randall said. 

Randall said the provincial government has been silent on the calls for compensation for cottage owners, such as himself, who have suffered a catastrophic loss.

"I know on the Island especially there's a lot of cottages that are passed down from generation to generation, and they may be elderly, on fixed incomes now," he said.

"This represented a fairly large element of their assets, and their savings."

CBC News asked Fisheries and Communities Minister Jamie Fox's office for a comment on compensation for cottage owners but did not receive a reply.