Families still rebuilding 3 years after tornado struck Barrie
It's been three years since a tornado ripped through a Barrie neighbourhood on July 15, 2021.
The tornado is becoming a distant memory for many Barrie residents, but for others, the rebuilding hasn't stopped.
One Barrie family in the south-end neighbourhood has been dealing with repairs and contractors for three years.
"This room has been completely repaired, but every so often, you still get cracks," said Edward Anderson, homeowner.
Anderson said he has been fighting his insurance company due to inadequate work by its contractors.
"We're still living in what basically I consider an active scene still."
- DETAILS | Stories from the July 15, 2021, Barrie tornado
- PHOTO GALLERY | Destruction from tornado in Barrie community
He adds that the scaffolding remains outside his house, ready for work to continue, but delays are mounting.
"Everything that we're telling them is being challenged by the people that did the work."
He and his wife are hiring their own team of engineers to prove their claims.
After years of limbo - a slight breakthrough, their insurance has extended the work order to August 31, to replace windows and reattach the back wall.
"We have a very limited time with the extension - probably not a time that we can meet," said Cindy Sweeting, Anderson's wife.
Sweeting and Anderson are seeking another extension for their window replacement, which could take up to 10 weeks. This would bring them past their deadline of August 31.
According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, their case is one of more than 2,200 insurance claims, amounting to over $100 million in damage.
The day is remembered by Barrie's deputy fire chief, Carrie Clark.
"One house had collapsed, and there was debris everywhere," she said.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
The emergency response lasted days, with all hands on deck.
"The roads department who made sure everything was passable, as well as making sure the water, electricity, utilities was turned back on," said Clark.
The aftermath changed how development is handled in Barrie with hurricane straps and the threat of natural disasters in mind.
The City of Barrie is now fast-tracking a new emergency station in the south end.
"It's something that I think is long overdue and should have been done when that area was being built in southeast Barrie rather than waiting for something like this to happen," said Mayor Alex Nuttall.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From essential goods to common stocking stuffers, Trudeau offering Canadians temporary tax relief
Canadians will soon receive a temporary tax break on several items, along with a one-time $250 rebate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
She thought her children just had a cough or fever. A mother shares sons' experience with walking pneumonia
A mother shares with CTVNews.ca her family's health scare as medical experts say cases of the disease and other respiratory illnesses have surged, filling up emergency departments nationwide.
Trump chooses Pam Bondi for attorney general pick after Gaetz withdraws
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, to be U.S. attorney general just hours after his other choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name from consideration.
A one-of-a-kind Royal Canadian Mint coin sells for more than $1.5M
A rare one-of-a-kind pure gold coin from the Royal Canadian Mint has sold for more than $1.5 million. The 99.99 per cent pure gold coin, named 'The Dance Screen (The Scream Too),' weighs a whopping 10 kilograms and surpassed the previous record for a coin offered at an auction in Canada.
Putin says Russia attacked Ukraine with a new missile that he claims the West can't stop
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Thursday that Moscow has tested a new intermediate-range missile in a strike on Ukraine, and he warned that it could use the weapon against countries that have allowed Kyiv to use their missiles to strike Russia.
Here's a list of items that will be GST/HST-free over the holidays
Canadians won't have to pay GST on a selection of items this holiday season, the prime minister vowed on Thursday.
Video shows octopus 'hanging on for dear life' during bomb cyclone off B.C. coast
Humans weren’t the only ones who struggled through the bomb cyclone that formed off the B.C. coast this week, bringing intense winds and choppy seas.
Taylor Swift's motorcade spotted along Toronto's Gardiner Expressway
Taylor Swift is officially back in Toronto for round two. The popstar princess's motorcade was seen driving along the Gardiner Expressway on Thursday afternoon, making its way to the downtown core ahead of night four of ‘The Eras Tour’ at the Rogers Centre.
Service Canada holding back 85K passports amid Canada Post mail strike
Approximately 85,000 new passports are being held back by Service Canada, which stopped mailing them out a week before the nationwide Canada Post strike.