Neighbours demand city immediately address infrastructure problems

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The seemingly unending rainfall that has hit the city this summer and regularly flooded and backed up sewage into the basements of many local homes has some Beach-Riverdale residents at their wits' end.

The situation has especially incensed Joanne Dicaire, a longtime Kew Beach Avenue resident, who said she dashes home after work when major rain falls in case sewage backs up into her basement.

"It's not acceptable for the city to have a 'too bad, too much rain' attitude," she said Thursday afternoon as yet another major thunderstorm brewed in the GTA.

"(Sewage backups) are disgusting and to be told 'too bad' by the city isn't acceptable."

Dicaire, who had sewage back up into her basement twice last month following major rainfalls, said that several of her neighbours are experiencing both the health and financial effects of the infrastructure problem.

Dicaire said one neighbour is on stress medication because of the ongoing flooding and sewage backups in her home, while another recently shelled out $50,000 to have her basement cleaned up and repaired.

"One neighbour had sewage come through her washer," Dicaire said with disgust.

On a personal note, she said that a $12,000 renovation to her own basement was recently destroyed by a backup. Dicaire also said that her visiting father-in-law has experienced respiratory problems because of the flooding and sewage backups in her home's basement.

Further, Dicaire said many of the affected residents have installed one or more of the city-recommended water backflow valves.

"They absolutely don't work. That little plastic valve can't contain the pressure," she said.

"We don't want the value of our properties to go down."

As the spokesperson for the recently formed Beach Sewage and Flooding Committee, Dicaire said several dozen Woodbine-area residents have signed a petition demanding the city immediately deal with the expensive, not to mention stressful, situation.

Dicaire, like many area residents, said she can appreciate the city's efforts to divert waste water from flowing directly into Lake Ontario but feels the process and required infrastructure to carry out that plan hasn't been carefully thought out.

This summer especially, Ward 32 (Beaches-East York) Councillor Sandra Bussin has received scores of angry calls and e-mails from local residents wondering why this ongoing, and often disgusting, problem isn't being immediately addressed.

Admitting she's also experienced flooding problems in own her Beach home, Bussin said she's pushing the city to make the affected areas in her ward a top priority when it comes to improving the infrastructure of the city's storm sewer system.

This week she also sent a letter to the Ontario Ministry of the Environment requesting it consider a pilot project to accelerate the process locally.

The councillor has also invited a ministry representative to attend a Sept. 11 community meeting she's hosting for residents of the affected areas, which also include parts of Leslieville. Details of the meeting have not been finalized.

Bussin said she's received two other petitions demanding the city address flooding problems from residents near Dundas Street and Greenwood Avenue and from people living near the Connaught Barns at Minto Street.

A total of 39 areas across the city have been identified as having ongoing flooding issues.

This September, the city will table a report looking at areas to be investigated and addressed.