‘We can’t have this happen again’: Highgate Road residents demand answers after Canada Day flooding

Highgate Road residents are still cleaning up after the Canada Day storm, which dumped roughly 167 millimetres of rain in parts of Ottawa in a short period, leaving some families dealing with repeated flooding, costly repairs and the fear that it could happen again.

Highgate Road residents are still cleaning up after the Canada Day storm, which dumped roughly 167 millimetres of rain in parts of Ottawa in a short period, leaving some families dealing with repeated flooding, costly repairs and the fear that it could happen again. On Tuesday, College Ward Coun. Laine Johnson toured some of the hardest-hit areas, including Highgate Road, as residents pressed the city for answers about what caused the flooding and what will be done to prevent it from happening again.

Highgate Road is located off Baseline Road near Pinecrest. “These are true living situations that we’re being faced with,” said resident Cathy Romano-Franzese. “The fears and anxiety that we’re all being faced with.”

Homeowners gathered outside their homes with Johnson, sharing stories of repeated flooding and asking whether stormwater infrastructure failed, what investigations are underway, and whether financial help will be available for repairs. For some neighbours, this was not the first time their homes had been flooded. “It’s like my fourth,” Kim Iariccia said.

Others say drainage problems in the area have been obvious for years. “I’ve been saying for years that I think there’s a problem between up there and down here,” says Ross Lewis, as he shows points to opposite ends of the street. “And I’m at one of the lowest spots.”

Romano-Franzese said homeowners are doing everything they can to protect their properties but feel powerless when it comes to the city’s infrastructure. “We’ll put in the efforts inside, but we can’t control the outside,” she said. “That’s what my ask is.”

Johnson acknowledged residents’ concerns, and said some areas experienced significant flooding even though they did not receive the highest rainfall totals during the storm. “Residents will absolutely be thinking that there’s something wrong with the infrastructure here, especially since we didn’t get the rainfall necessarily the volume that other areas got,” she said. The flooding has left many homeowners to handle cleanup on their own.

“I’m lucky that I am healthy. I can carry things up and downstairs,” said resident Jackie Quinton. “If this was six months ago, I wouldn’t be able to.

I had a knee replacement in the spring.” “We are serious, this is an election issue,” says Bradley Kennedy, who has lived on Highgate Road for four decades. Johnson says she is pushing the city to conduct neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood investigations instead of ward-wide assessments so that residents can better understand why streets like Highgate continue to flood.

“We have at least 13 neighbourhoods that were affected in College Ward, each with different characteristics of flooding,” Johnson said. “These residents need to know exactly how infiltration happened in their homes so that they can make decisions.” For Romano-Franzese, the damage has been so extensive that she has temporarily moved out of her home while repairs are completed.

The emotional toll was evident as residents shared their stories with Johnson, with some embracing through tears as they spoke about the uncertainty they continue to face. “We want to enjoy our neighbourhoods,” Romano-Franzese said. “But we can’t with the fear of it happening again.”

Many residents also worry repeated flooding could eventually affect their ability to obtain insurance. “We can’t have this happen again,” Romano-Franzese said. “Insurances are going to start cutting us off.”

As city staff continue investigating what happened during the Canada Day storm, Highgate Road residents say they will keep pushing for answers and for long-term solutions they hope will prevent another devastating flood.