Flood Claims

If you suffered damages as a result of a basement flood or sewer backup incident, please contact the Public Services Department immediately to allow a municipal representative to investigate as it plays an important part in the claims investigation process.

When making a claim against the Municipality for flood or sewer backup damages it’s important to note that staff are not associated with the Municipality’s Insurance Adjusters and are not involved in the management of insurance claims. Additionally, the Municipality will not be responsible for your property damage if it has met installation and maintenance standards for its water and sewage systems, specifically:

Installation

Installation of water or sewer service was completed in accordance with the engineering practices that prevailed at the time.

Maintenance

A reasonable maintenance system is in place and adhered to. This includes proactive measures to prevent water and sewage systems from failure and to ensure mechanisms are in place to enable the Municipality to respond appropriately to system failures.

Watermain breaks or sewer backups can be attributed to causes other than the Municipality's failure to properly install or maintain its infrastructure. The weather, for example, can have a significant impact.

The pressures created by the freeze/thaw cycles during the winter can also place a significant amount of strain on watermains. These pressures often result in leaks and ruptures. Severe weather systems that pass through the Municipality can also strain the sewer system.

Significant rainfall over a short period of time can result in the Municipality’s storm and combined sewers taking in more water than they are designed to accommodate, resulting in sewer backups.

The Municipality can only be held responsible for damage to private property caused by water escaping from its infrastructure if you are able to establish that damage was caused by the Municipality’s negligence.

You are encouraged to submit your claim as soon as possible using the Claim Submission Web Form.

For more about the claims process in general, please visit Make a Claim Against the Municipality.

Claims Investigation

There will be an investigation by the Municipality to determine if it is responsible for your loss.

The investigation will consist of gathering information from you and the Public Services department. Records from the Public Services Department will be reviewed to determine if reasonable maintenance, response time and installation standards were met.

In addition, Environment Canada weather records (to track temperatures and precipitation), Municipality of Greenstone rain gauge records (in the event of a severe weather system passing through the Municipality at the time of the loss) and information about contractors or third parties that may have been carrying out work at or near the site of the incident, are collected and reviewed. If the applicable standards have not been met, the adjuster will contact you in an effort to resolve your claim.

Repairs to your property may be expedited by making a claim through your insurance company.

If Your Claim is Denied

If municipal records show that reasonable maintenance, response time and installation standards were met, the Municipality has a defense and your claim will be denied. The Municipality’s independent insurance adjuster will outline the results of their investigation in a letter and provide you with a report that justifies the Municipality’s denial.

It’s important to know that the majority of property damage claims made against the Municipality of Greenstone are denied as municipal departments regularly meet or exceed standard service levels.

If you still wish to pursue your claim after being denied compensation, your next option is to proceed with legal action.