One year after the derecho, this man still has a hole in his roof — and no repair in sight

When a destructive windstorm swept through the nation's capital last May, a tree fell on Barton McKinley's roof and pierced a hole in it.

A year later, that hole is still there, covered in plastic, with no repair date in sight.

"A lot of questions, a lot of worries, a lot of attempts to get help," said McKinley, summarizing his past year. "Endless delays. Promises made. Promises broken."

On May 21, 2022, a severe thunderstorm swept across Ontario and into Ottawa, bringing winds of up to 190 km/h, knocking down thousands of trees and cutting power to 180,000 buildings served by Hydro Ottawa for several days.

Damage from the fatal storm, called a derecho, lingered for months. It also left people like McKinley chasing insurance companies and contractors for cleanup and repairs.

What's a derecho and why is it so destructive?

"It's a problem that's getting worse," McKinley said. "And it's really unfair to people who trust in those contractors."

McKinley said it took until June for Intact Insurance to hire a contractor to inspect his roof damage.

The contractor said the repairs would be done in August, McKinley said. When they missed the repair dates and would not return his calls, he got permission from the insurer to find his own contractor.

In the meantime, water seeped into his attic and mice crawled through the hole and ran around his home, he said. A forensic engineer later discovered some structural damage to the roof.

"I'm just really frustrated and super disappointed," said McKinley.

McKinley got in touch with another Ottawa roofing company in late August and they sent him an initial estimate of $2,392.50.

In the following months, the new roofer changed his estimate twice, citing further damage was found upon inspection. By November, it had ballooned to $16,837.

In the meantime, McKinley sent them a $750 deposit. They were scheduled to fix the roof on Nov. 23, but McKinley says the roofer cancelled the repairs a few days before.

"I was very upset. I thought, you know, 'What am I going to do? I'm lost now before winter. I've got a hole in my roof. Snow's going to come in.'"

McKinley said the roofer then began "ghosting" him.

McKinley's insurance company got yet another company to winterize his roof at the last minute, installing water shields, tar paper and shingles by the attic vent.

Since November, McKinley has been trying to get his initial deposit back, arguing that he never saw evidence of any work done on his roof.

In an email to McKinley on Jan. 2, 2023, the roofer offered to return $250 but not the rest because he said he made some minor repairs during his inspection. He said that offer was non-negotiable.

McKinley said he never got that money. He said neither he nor other experts who came to inspect his roof saw evidence of repairs, and called the claim "ludicrous."

CBC News contacted the roofer for an interview this week. He declined and said he forgot to send a portion of McKinley's deposit back in January, describing the situation as a misunderstanding.

During an interview with CBC this week, McKinley got a notification of an email money transfer for $250 from the contractor.

The next day, the contractor returned McKinley's deposit in full.

While he has his deposit back, McKinley still doesn't have a confirmed date for the roof work after going back to his insurance company to book repairs.

Emails from various contractors have suggested the work could be done some time this summer or even in the spring of 2024.

"That's two years to wait to get a roof repair, which is not reasonable," he said. "I have to constantly worry about this … Like, do I have to chase somebody again for the nth time?"

Intact Insurance says it can't comment on specific cases, but points out it closed 92 per cent of derecho-related claims in Ontario and 96 per cent of claims in Quebec.

Anne Marie Thomas, director of consumer relations for the Insurance Bureau of Canada, said the derecho was the most expensive natural disaster in Canada last year.

Inflation, supply chain issues and skilled-labour shortages have all contributed to the work delays some homeowners are facing, she said.

"A lot of people were affected at once, and it is not uncommon … for a loss to take up to 18 months to close," Thomas said.

Thomas said about six months after the storm, 70 per cent of claims had been resolved.

Reporter/Editor

Priscilla Ki Sun Hwang is a reporter with CBC News based in Ottawa. She's worked with the investigative unit, CBC Toronto, and CBC North in Yellowknife, Whitehorse and Iqaluit. She has a Master of Journalism from Carleton University. Want to contact her? Email [email protected]