‘We’re moving in!‘: N.S. couple gets keys to new home after wildfire devastation

A couple that lost their home in the 2023 Nova Scotia wildfires got the keys to their new house on Wednesday.

After spending the majority of the last year-and-a-half in an apartment, Sue Reid and Phil Fizzard are returning home -- sort of.

The couple’s home was one of 151 which were lost in the Tantallon-area wildfires in 2023.

“It was the worst day ever, losing everything,” says Reid. “We didn’t know where to turn.”

“We planned on retiring that year, but the fire happened,” says Fizzard. “We were going to put the house on the market… We were thinking about retiring, going up Truro way and relaxing, getting a smaller place, right?”

Wednesday marked an emotional milestone in their story, as the couple received the keys to their new Habitat for Humanity home in Hammonds Plains, N.S.

“This is our neighbourhood, and this is our home -- and this is where we want to be,” says Reid. “It’s overwhelming, honestly.”

Since being founded in 1992, the Nova Scotia branch of Habitat for Humanity has supported 78 families.

“As a community, we all came together and gave Sue and Phil hope that they really needed at a time when they thought all hope was lost,” says Habitat CEO Donna Williamson.

“Just watching Sue and Phil get the hope back and that sparkle back in their eyes,” she says. “When I first met Phil, I didn’t even know he could smile.”

Habitat for Humanity says the couple was in the process of renewing their insurance due to an issue with their oil tank when the wildfire hit, leaving them with nowhere to go.

“All three partners, Habitat, the Red Cross, United Way got together and this is how they helped us,” says an emotional Reid. “This is how they helped us and they helped rebuild our home, and here we are home, and it’s an amazing feeling. It really is.”

Willamson says there is certain criteria that has to be met for the non-profit to support a family.

“They have to be working. They have to have a certain income because once the home is built, we sell the home to them at fair market value,” she says. “We literally sell them to Habitat families who may not have been able to get a traditional mortgage at a bank, or they just didn’t have the down payment, or they’re working towards a stronger credit rating.”

The home isn’t quite finished, though, “in order to kind of cut costs,” with Williamson saying they didn’t receive all they had hoped for in terms of donations.

“We’re still looking for more donations for this project,” she says.

The three organizations “helped us get back to where we wanted to be,” says Reid. “And we’re thrilled.”

“We have it and we’re moving in! We can’t wait.”

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