Dollard-des-Ormeaux residents call on city for more support to mitigate flooding

D.D.O. residents protested outside a city hall meeting, calling on the city for more support after major flooding.

A protest was held outside Dollard-des-Ormeaux City Hall Tuesday night ahead of a packed council meeting.

The demonstration comes after a severe rainstorm last month caused major flooding in the Montreal suburb, damaging hundreds of homes. Debris was piled up in the streets for weeks.

About 30 protesters took part outside the meeting, some accusing the city of “false promises” and arguing the city is “doing nothing about it,” with some even saying they were discussing moving away because of the lack of support.

Protest organizer Paul Henry Danylewich accused the city of not doing enough for its residents.

“We’re here today because we want the mayor to be accountable. We want him to be accountable to the people. We want a plan of action,” he said.

Some 100 residents packed inside the meeting to hear how officials would respond.

D.D.O. Mayor Alex Bottausci told them that after the flood of August 2024, the city’s engineers analyzed Dollard’s infrastructure and confirmed that it was working as designed, but with over 150 millimetres of water that fell in a short time – then again, two weeks ago – it exceeded what any system could handle.

While the city said it is making adaptations to climate change, the mayor said it has called on Quebec and Ottawa to help.

“Since this recent flood, I’ve also actively engaged with the Quebec government, reaching out to ministers and both elected officials – provincial and federal. I’ve asked for additional support for our city. I’ve asked for funding that will allow us to move these projects and important infrastructure projects forward now. Not tomorrow, or after tomorrow, but now, I told them,” he said.

The city will hold a special meeting on Aug. 6, where it will bring in experts from various fields to discuss what Dollard-des-Ormeaux and its citizens can do together to better mitigate flooding in the future.