Province denies Steinbach disaster assistance

Steinbach city council is looking for answers after flood victims were denied funds from the provincially run disaster financial assistance (DFA) program.

The Sept. 11 event came almost exactly one year later than a previous flood which affected many of the same residents.

Last year the application, which is done by the city, was denied as well.

Council was presented with the letter from Erin Robbins, director of recovery and mitigation for the province.

The letter shared the criteria to release funds includes:

• Damages from the event are widespread and affect a large area or number of residents;

• Damages from the event are mostly uninsurable; and

• Damages from the event represents a significant financial burden.

“The Manitoba government has concluded that the impacts experienced by the City of Steinbach from the Sept. 11, 2025 rain event do not meet the criteria for the establishment of a DFA program,” the letter states. “While we sympathize with the affected communities, no assistance will be made available.”

Mayor Earl Funk called on council to support a motion calling for a better explanation, calling the criteria too vague.

“Is this something that isn’t funded?” he asked. “We did a lot of work applying for this and a lot of people, residents, did a lot of work applying for this.”

Coun. Susan Penner, whose home flooded in 2024 and 2025, made the motion to ask for clarity and took issue with the letter saying she thinks all the criteria were met.

“I would say a wide and large number of residents were impacted,” she said. “It was hundreds.”

And insurance was not available to all of them.

“Countless people have contacted me and said they were not insurable in 2025 because they flooded in 2024,” she said.

She added that damage was significant.

“I don’t know what the province considers a significant financial burden to a homeowner, but the financial burdens were extensive for the people, particularly those who have flooded twice in two years,” she said.

Coun. Michael Zwaagstra seconded the motion, saying they deserve a better explanation.

“I am going to go so far as to say I suspect that there aren’t clear criteria, that’s why this is so vague and it becomes very subjective,” he said. “If that’s the case it’s very unfortunate.”

“If the point of this is to be a provincial disaster assistance program, than the criteria should be clear and transparent so that people don’t go through all this extra work in addition to the damage that they’re dealing with, to file for a program we have no idea if the province is going to approve because the criteria is certainly not clear.”

Zwaagstra was unhappy with the response.

“It is unacceptable, the vagueness of the letter, and I fully support this motion, that we need more specificity on what these criteria actually mean.”