More than six months after their village was engulfed by the raging waters of the Souris River, life is nowhere close to returning to normal for the residents of Roche Percee.
Worse yet, it appears that a definitive direction on the future of one of Saskatchewan's oldest communities will not be forthcoming anytime soon, leaving the residents of the village who lost their homes in the flood of 2011 in an uneasy state of limbo.
The Saskatchewan Watershed Authority held a meeting in Estevan last week where they outlined some of the options they plan to present to the provincial cabinet later this month. Although those holding the meeting did not appear to endorse one particular idea over another, the bulk of the presentation centred on a plan to rebuild the village's dikes, a move that would allow a handful of residents the opportunity to rebuild their homes.
The idea, as it was presented at the meeting, in theory is a solid one. However, when exposed to the bright light of practicality, the idea is fraught with far too many negatives to be considered by the province.
If the cost figures presented at last week's meeting are accurate, rebuilding the dikes would cost the provincial government $5.7 million.
However, under the cost sharing formula the province employs, the Village of Roche Percee would be on the hook for roughly $1.5 million. It goes without saying this is a sum they cannot afford. The only real solution, if government decides to pursue that option, would be for them to pick up the entire tab.
till, while it may sound cold and callous, spending that amount of money on a village of that size, when there is still no guarantee that the new dikes will prevent another flood defies common sense.
There is also the issue of time. In a best-case scenario the dikes would be rebuilt this year, however, even officials from the engineering firm MDH and the province admitted this is not likely to happen.
The village is exploring the more practical idea of building lots on top of the hill at the south end of Roche Percee. This too, is a solid plan but also has glaring flaws.
Because the village has been given the run around by some of the people involved in the purchase of the land, there is little chance of construction beginning this year. Furthermore, the land hasn't even been tested to see if it's safe for homes so it remains likely the earliest construction could begin is next year.
It would be inhumane to ask the people who have already gone through an ordeal that few of us could ever understand to keep their lives on hold for another year.
The only real solution is to pay those who lost their homes fair market value for their land and allow them to move on with their lives.
These people have already been dealt a cruel blow and had their lives changed forever. They deserve the opportunity to begin picking up the pieces and moving on.
It's been said the provincial government isn't a big fan of buying land or paying people out. So what.
The people of Roche Percee, and others in the southeast, didn't ask to have their homes destroyed and their lives thrown into a permanent state of chaos.
The provincial government needs to do the right thing for these people and they need to do it fast.
