Merritt dike system remains in a state of disrepair, 2 years after floods

Two years after atmospheric flooding swallowed the City of Merritt, frustrations are rising about a lack of action to repair essential infrastructure.

As cold, wet weather returns to the city, its residents and mayor say it remains vulnerable to flooding as its dike system has yet to be replaced. On Nov. 15, 2021, the city’s dike system broke, triggering an evacuation of the city’s 7,000 residents and damaging more than 600 homes. Mayor Mike Goetz says 32 families remain out of their homes two years later.

One Merritt property owner is speaking up to express her frustration about the lack of repairs completed.

Samantha Ferris lives in Vancouver and owns two properties in Merritt which she normally rents out. She says all that remains of one of her homes are some studs and floorboards, and the city is “failing its residents” by not yet addressing the unprotected river edge.

“There are so many things that are absolutely gobsmacking and jaw-dropping in response to the fact that we’re two years later and certain things haven’t been done at all,” she said.

However, Goetz says the fact the dike hasn’t been repaired yet isn’t the fault of the city — it’s a lack of response from the federal government.

Goetz says the close to 14 kilometres of damaged dike will cost $169 million to repair, but the city’s annual intake for taxes is only $9.5 million. This means it would take the city 15 years of collecting taxes before it had enough to afford the repairs, he says.

“The reason the dikes haven’t been touched is because we don’t have the money for it,” he said.

To remedy this issue, Goetz says the city has applied for money through the federal government’s Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund (DMAF). He says an application was sent on July 2 of 2022, shortly after the fund re-opened after a 13-month closure due to lack of money.

Since then, Goetz says the city has received radio silence from Ottawa on its 165-page application.

On May 4, Goetz says he testified in front of parliament to highlight issues with DMAF, such as its slow response and lack of funds.

“Coming into year three, it’s unconscionable that we are still fighting for any kind of a dollar from the federal government for our dikes that have been completely decimated,” he said.

Goetz says he shares Ferris’ frustrations about the lack of action and has his own personal story of loss connected to the floods. One of Goetz’s granddaughters was killed while trying to evacuate the flood and two other family members were injured, he says.

Despite the dike’s state of disrepair, Ferris says she’s noticed several roads and bridges in Merritt have been under construction. She says she doesn’t understand why the city is able to repair its roads before it can reinforce its riverbanks.

But Goetz says that’s due to the positive response from the province to Merritt’s pleas for help. He says while the city is relying upon the federal government to help it repair its dike system, the province has been very supportive by providing money for the repairs of its throughways.

Property tax frustrations spill out

Ferris says she’s also frustrated by the taxes she’s being required to pay for her skeleton property, despite not using many of the services she pays for.

“It’s more expensive than my place in Vancouver,” she said. “These houses will never be used again, (but) we’re paying into water use, electricity, garbage pickup and the school system.”

But Goetz says those taxes are collected by the province and isn’t something the city has jurisdiction over.

According to the provincial government’s website: “All property owners within the service area share the cost of the service through property taxes. If the service is available, you are required to support the service.”

Looking ahead, Goetz says he’s reached out to multiple BC ministers and is leaning on the support of the province to apply more pressure to the federal government.

“We’re doing the best we can here,” he said. “We work on this every single day, so I get bristly when someone says we’re not stepping up to the plate.”