HRM council to ask province to develop a buyout program for some Bedford homes along floodplains

A house on Union Street behind Bedford Place Mall. (Sarah Plowman/CTV Atlantic)

Halifax's mayor will ask the premier to develop a buyout program to purchase some of the flood-prone homes on Union Street in Bedford.

The planned ask of the province comes after Bedford-area councillor Tim Outhit brought a motion forward during Tuesday’s council meeting.

Multiple homes on the street were flooded with seven feet of water amid a torrential downpour on July 21 and 22.

“We had people running for their lives,” said Outhit. “In some cases this is not the only time this has happened.”

Outhit said many of the homes were built in the 1970s on what was a known flood plain. Many of the residents don’t have insurance or cannot get the right kind of insurance to cover flood damage. Outhit said between six and twelve homes are beyond liveable.

Nova Scotia’s Housing Minister John Lohr told reporters last week in order for the province to consider buying homes, the Halifax Regional Municipality would have to make a request.

Lohr said the Cape Breton Regional Municipality led the way when the province bought flood damaged homes in Sydney in 2016.

During the council debate Tuesday, several councillors said they too have flood-prone homes in their areas and seemed reluctant to support the motion.

“I believe this today is a starting point,” said Outhit before the vote was passed, saying study after study has shown engineering will not solve this.

The motion passed 15 to 1.

Outhit said if this ask is successful, the HRM would have to commit to turn the area into a green space or Riverwalk.