A West Kent Councillor is helping to promote an online petition to protect the town of Tilbury from flooding.
The petition was launched by local resident Elsie Marantette, and claims Tilbury has seen an increased number of so-called “100 year storms” over the last five years, causing significant flooding and property damage.
Marantette says that while Chatham-Kent has an active Stormwater Mater Plan in place, the timeline for its implementation does not meet the needs of local residents.
The petition reads: we the undersigned, declare the following:
- We support Councillor Harrigan’s motion to ensure that the pumping stations are able to operate through hydro outages, when they are needed most, and for this solution to be implemented in 2024.
- We support the work being done on the Tilbury Storm Water Master plan, and encourage the Municipality of Chatham-Kent to accelerate this work using all means possible.
- We support the need to advocate to the province and Hydro One, to ensure that any storm water assets and property is maintained in order to support proper drainage within the town of Tilbury.
Councillor Melissa Harrigan shared the link on social media, encouraging the community to help advocate for support.
“We know the storm sewers in Tilbury need major work, and the Stormwater Master Plan is a large project that is decades in the making,” Harrigan wrote. “Signing the petition will assist with getting attention to the issue, and help people like me (your friendly neighborhood councillor) advocate to my peers and colleagues for increased support.”