It’s been just over a month since thousands faced severe flooding during the Canada Day storm, and many are still dealing with basement repairs and trying to secure financial support.
As of July 31, the City of Ottawa had logged more than 7,100 reports of flooded basements.
With numerous residents having a tough time navigating their insurance claims, lawyers like Hamish Mills-Mc Ewan have stepped in to provide guidance.
“I think sometimes people feel a bit powerless,” said Mills-Mc Ewan, a lawyer at Nelligan Law who’s been giving advice at city-hosted information sessions.
“[They] feel like if their insurance company tells them something, they just have to accept that, which isn’t really the case.”
Municipal garbage contractors remove garbage from homes that flooded during the storm on Canada Day, in the Qualicum – Graham Park neighbourhood of Ottawa, on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (Justin Tang/ )
Mills-Mc Ewan has heard from individuals whose insurance adjusters aren’t responding, and he advises them to be persistent – preferably through email for documentation purposes.
Reaching out to customer service or an ombudsman can also yield better results because quiet clients can sometimes get ignored.
“It might feel a bit petty or something like you shouldn’t be doing. But if you put on that pressure, you’re actually more likely to get a good result,” he said.
Laurie Mc Coubrey lives in the Crystal Beach neighbourhood that was hit hard by the flooding on July 1, ending up with more than 91 centimetres of water in her basement. (Mathieu Deroy/CBC)
‘A disaster that could’ve been avoided’
One person who sought legal assistance was Laurie Mc Coubrey.
Mc Coubrey resides in Crystal Beach, an area severely affected by the flooding but not included in Ontario’s Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians program.
“It was such a surreal experience,” she reflected on how nearly a metre of water filled her basement within hours.
Mc Coubrey consulted with a lawyer at one of the support meetings at the end of July due to concerns about one remediation company she hired.
“I could rip wet drywall off with my hands after they left,” she explained while adding that they left behind wet carpet and “bags of dripping drywall” in her basement. p>
She now seeks answers as to why so many neighbors ended up with flooded basements. p>
“I feel really angry because I feel like this was a preventable catastrophe,” she stated. “I feel like we need answers and we need transparency.” p>
Hamish Mills-Mc Ewan is a lawyer at Nelligan Law who’s been offering advice at city-run sessions following the July 1 storm. He says people should get any refusals from their insurer in writing in case they need to go to a lawyer. (Francis Ferland/CBC) p >
