1 year later Mississauga blast site sold, but some 25 families still displaced

The site of Mississauga home explosion that rocked a quiet neighbourhood has been sold, officials said one year after the blast that's left some 25 families still displaced.

Mississauga fire chief Tim Beckett made the announcement at a press conference Tuesday on the ongoing reconstruction efforts, along with Mayor Bonnie Crombie and Coun. Chris Fonseca.

But while the city has received an application to rebuild at that site, many more properties remain in various stages of construction — with several families still unable to return.

And that prompted calls by Crombie in particular, for insurance companies to "do their part" to help resettle the families still displaced by the blast.

City willing to vote on waiving 2017 taxes for affected families

"Let this be a call out to the insurance companies to be fair and to work with those residents so that they can, through no fault of their own, be back in their homes as soon as possible," Crombie said Tuesday, adding the city is prepared to waive 2017 property taxes for the affected families if necessary.

​"It is largely in the insurance companies' hands, however... I'm sure we would vote to do so," she said.

Pete Karageorgos, director of consumer and industry relations at the Insurance Bureau of Canada says there are many components to an insurance policy and claim process, a process that can be made even more complicated and time-consuming by the process of selecting a contractor.

"The process can be timely," he said, but "can also be frustrating if the individual is unaware of the process, input and decisions they need to participate in."

Residents should review policies and limits, says insurance bureau

"Residents should take the time to review their policies and coverage limits," Karageorgos said, adding that ultimately the insurer will live up to the terms of the policy and get the home back to its condition prior to an event, in this case the blast.

Tuesday's conference was held one year after the blast at 4201 Hickory Drive on June 28, 2016 that initially damaged or affected some 800 nearby houses, condos and apartments in varying degrees.

The bodies of homeowners Diane Page and Robert Nadler, both 55, were found beneath the rubble, with Peel police deeming the explosion "intentional" last December.

Coun. Fonseca told reporters that she's heard from residents that the recovery process "has been and continues to be exhausting and stressful."

Fonseca pointed to several motions passed by Mississauga council in the months following the explosion, including a subsidy to offset stormwater charges for displaced residents and a property tax grant that waived 100 per cent of affected residents' property taxes, totaling some $30,885.

Among the biggest concerns she's heard from residents still displaced are working out agreements with insurance companies and the cost of reconnecting regional utilities like water and sanitation.

The councillor told reports Tuesday that those fees have since been waived and that she hopes to secure a similar commitment from hydro providers.

'That's where our heart is'

That's all good news to Barbara Castleberry who is looking eagerly forward to her move-in date.

Castleberry has been back to see the site a few times. "Initially, it was a bit eerie to just see it completely gutted... It was a bit surreal," she said.

But despite the tragedy that led to her home's destruction, she says she's now feeling hopeful.

"That's where our heart is," she said. "Hopefully now you can replace the old memories, the bad memories with a fresh start."

Crombie echoed that sentiment, saying June 28 will be a day that will forever be "engrained in the minds and memories of Mississaugans."

"Everyone will know what they were doing that day."