Ontario activates Disaster Recovery Assistance program for Barrie tornado victims
Barrie residents impacted by a devastating tornado earlier this month will receive help from the province.
On Thursday, the Ontario government announced it was activating the Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians (DRAO) program for the south-end community.
The EF-2 twister that struck the Prince William Way area on June 15 had wind speeds of 210 km/h and caused a path of damage 12 kilometres long and 600 metres wide.
Currently, 70 homes have been deemed uninhabitable. Upwards of 200 more were damaged.
"Our government stands with the City of Barrie and the families and businesses impacted by this natural disaster," said Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
The program helps residents with essential costs that aren't covered by insurance.
The DRAO assists with emergency expenses and the costs to repair or replace essential property after a natural disaster for a primary residence and its basic contents, a small business, farm or a rural, not-for-profit organization.
"We'll continue working in partnership with the city to help affected families, and businesses get back on their feet," Clark said.
More information on who is eligible for assistance and where the activation area is located is available here.
Residents with no insurance coverage or insufficient insurance coverage for essential costs will have until Nov. 26, 2021, to apply through the program.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.