Abbotsford winery not qualified for flood disaster funding despite catastrophic damage
Posted January 13, 2022 11:48 am.
An Abbotsford winery is trying to build back after suffering heavy damage in November’s historic floods.
Kelsey Mostertman with Ripples Estate Winery says her business was mostly destroyed when it was filled with more than two metres of water over the course of just two days.
Equipment, including machinery, was damaged, as well as the loss of thousands of dollars of plants and products.
Ripples Winery says it is trying to get the business back on track after the floods, but does not qualify for financial assistance from the province. (Instagram/rippleswinery)
“The floodwaters left a big thick layer of this chalky mud on everything so it’s a lot of cleaning to get it all off. Even the wine bottles, we had to sanitize everything,” she said.
Properties in the floodplain were all exempt from flood insurance.
She says the financial impact is devastating and has been part of a class-action lawsuit against the province, the City of Abbotsford, and the Fraser Valley Regional District.
READ MORE: Abbotsford farmers file flood lawsuit, claim governments failed to provide warning
“The emotional damage is pretty big too,” she said.
The province has vowed to help those impacted by the floods, but she says her business has few options right now.
If the gross sales of a business are more than a million dollars, they don’t qualify for disaster relief funding, according to the province.
“Gross is very different than your actual income. So, say we bring in a million dollars, but we only make $50,000, we still are completely exempt from those government funding programs.”
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The province also says because of the extreme nature of the flooding, other funding options for businesses could also take around six months to be processed.
She says they are working hard to get the business back in May and says the community has been incredibly supportive in getting it back up and running.
Ripples Estate Winery is having a wine sale next weekend, selling lightly damaged bottles to build back the business.
