Orrell presses Minister to waive $1,000 deductible
SYDNEY, NS – Today in the legislature, Northside-Westmount MLA Eddie Orrell pressed the Minister of the Emergency Management Office, Zach Churchill, about the $1,000 deductible on the forms for Cape Breton Disaster Assistance funding. As a result, the Minister is now agreeing to waive the extra expense.
“Being out of pocket for a thousand dollars during this already difficult and expensive time is too much for people in the affected areas,” says Orrell. “We are pleased the Minister heard our concerns and has now agreed to waive the deductible.”
Sydney River-Mira-Louisbourg MLA Alfie MacLeod says there is a lot of confusion for residents in Cape Breton about where to go to get assistance and how to actually access that money.
“We know people are facing significant hardship,” said MacLeod. “We are pressing the McNeil government to streamline the processes for people so they can get access to funding more quickly and easily. We want to get more people on the ground to help people to fill out forms and work their way through this complex and challenging time.”
MacLeod asked the Minister today, how many people from the Emergency Management team are on the ground helping people, but the Minister did not answer.