‘We need action’: DDO residents rally city councillors over flood response

Residents of Dollard-des-Ormeaux joined leaders of the Association of Citizens of Dollard at City Hall Tuesday night for a peaceful demonstration – demanding immediate and transparent action on what they describe as the city’s ongoing flood management failures.

The demonstration comes just days after two applications for class actions lawsuits were filed against the City of Dollard-des-Ormeaux and the borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro alleging that the municipalities neglected to properly address the risk of flooding, with the latest episode affecting hundreds of residents in late June.

“I was one of the ones that were flooded, basically and there’s a lot of stuff going on that isn’t proper. They keep raising our taxes but nothing is getting done, the garbage is still there,” says Elissa Topas Rosenkrantz, a homeowner in Dollard-des-Ormeaux whose house flooded after nearly 170 millimetres of rain.

“Our basement had four feet of water, my house was an island, completely surrounded on both sides. Water out in the street was four and a half feet deep,” echoed Diane Clarke, homeowner and 63-year resident of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, adding that she has never seen conditions quite like it.

Both described piles of garbage on the sidewalks — remnants taken out of resident’s basements since rainwater poured in.

“We’re here today because we think that the municipal leadership in dollars is missing the mark. We think that they’re overall disengaged from the community and their needs. We have many victims here of the flood that have lost everything,” said Association of Citizens of Dollard president Paul Henry Danylewich, who also attests to witnessing garbage on the streets and mold setting in, permeating the streets with smells of stench.

The municipality refutes claims of flooding inaction, and say projects on stormwater infrastructure have been in the works since flooding affected the region for the first time in August 2024, namely that of two underground stormwater retention basins currently in construction at Terry Fox Park and on Tecumseh Street.

Speaking at the citizens’ meeting Tuesday night, Dollard-des-Ormeaux borough mayor Alex Bottausci expressed sympathy for residents and reaffirmed the city’s commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of all.

But for Danylewich and other Dollard-des-Ormeaux residents, the City’s ongoing projects aren’t enough and say they want immediate action from Bottausci and his city caucus.

“We need accountability, we need him to take responsibility, and moving forward, we need to have a plan. We need to know how much this is going to cost, we need to deal with it today because the longer we wait, the more expensive it’s going to be in the future,” said Danylewich.