Windsor residents will soon be invited to participate in a program to help protect their water and sewer lines.
The city is entering into an agreement with Service Line Warranties of Canada to provide an affordable warranty option to property owners, involving the service lines that connect their homes to city systems. The Service Line Warranty Program helps protect homeowners against damage to these lines, which is not covered by the city, or by homeowners' insurance policies except with a rider attached.
At a media event Thursday morning at Windsor City Hall, Mayor Drew Dilkens said it's part of the city's wide-reaching efforts to help control flooding. So-called "hundred years" floods hit the city at least twice in the last three years. The mayor added that high water levels present a new problem.
"We're doing a number of things to help protect homeowners along the lakes and along the rivers in this area," said Dilkens. "Of course there's a serious danger with overland flooding, and we haven't seen the height of that yet."
Record-high water levels on the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair are not expected to top out until late summer or early fall, according to the city and Windsor Port Authority, so city officials are hoping residents will take advantage of the warranty program.
Residents will receive a notice via post within the next 30 days, outlining the program, with the city's official logo on it. The warranty is completely voluntary and will only cost a property owner up to $165 a year depending on the products subscribed to, or roughly the cost of a fast-food meal per month.
Jeff Olson, general manager of Service Line Warranties of Canada, said they have similar agreements with 57 municipalities across Ontario. Claims are handled 24 hours a day through a toll-free number, and the company uses completely local plumbers and contractors to handle the actual work.
Olson said he understands people's trepidation with warranties, but the service provides peace of mind to homeowners.
"We are aligning ourselves with these municipalities, so we have their brand and reputation to maintain as well as our own," said Olson. "The last thing we want to do is get into a situation where we're denying claims or trying to look at the fine print."
Olson added that they have processed over 97 per cent of the claims they have received across the province, and claims are not typically denied unless a homeowner's subscription has lapsed.
For complete information about the company, visit their official website.
A diagram showing coverage options is displayed at Windsor City Hall, July 18, 2019. Photo by Mark Brown/Blackburn News.
