Mississauga (Ontario) and Backwater valves | No rebate from City

Although these backwater valves certainly have positive benefits on minor problems, don't they periodically cause serious problems at times? Making some question their use at all.

BTW, it's "to date" not "till date"

There must be some motivation for all these jurisdictions to allow the rebate. Backwater valves may have their naysayers based on valid concerns from some. However I can't confirm this but I heard some builders are installing backwater valves in new homes. Like any household appliance, they need to be installed properly and maintained to work. I'll admit I have read a lot about their promise, and about folks that have speculated about their possible failures, but not much about how someone's flood was prevented because of it while their neighbours got backed up.
I wanted to qualify that the rebates wherever in place, encompass sump pumps also - which have mostly proven their effectiveness than the backwater valves. The two options are great mitigation choices for flood prevention and it just baffles me why Mississauga is lagging behind with incentives.

TO_raptor wrote: ↑As per my research Oakville and Toronto have had this rebate on sump pumps and backwater valves for years.

City of Mississauga has NO rebate on sump pumps and backwater valves till date for residential flood mitigation despite being hit hardest by the July flood.

I am polling this forum to invite comments about this serious lack of incentive/support from our city's public infrastructure. I have also found that other metros in Canada (like Winnipeg and Edmonton) have had this rebate on new installations. It baffles me that there is no rebate. If I see sufficient traction on this topic we can create petition to make the council focus on this issue.

I had one installed and although my weeping tile is still exposed to back flow the sanitary line has the backwater valve on it. I hear mostly good things about having this valve.

Reference links:
http://www.edmonton.ca/for_residents/fl ... ogram.aspx
http://www.winnipeg.ca/waterandwaste/dr ... rogram.stm
http://www.halton.ca/living_in_halton/h ... y_program/
http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/conte ... d60f89RCRD

If you read your own link about Oakville, it is clear the rebate program is offered through the Region of Halton, being the upper tier municipal government that handles sanitary sewers. As such that rebate program would apply to Oakville, Burlington, Milton, and Halton Hills.

For Mississauga or Brampton, no rebate program would be offered by the City as neither provides sanitary sewer services. The Region of Peel is the upper tier municipal government, as you should know from your tax bills, and water/sewer bills, and if any rebate program was offered, it would be through the Region of Peel.

I thought there was a rebate program only for certain houses which have experienced backups before?

Whitedart wrote: ↑If you read your own link about Oakville, it is clear the rebate program is offered through the Region of Halton, being the upper tier municipal government that handles sanitary sewers. As such that rebate program would apply to Oakville, Burlington, Milton, and Halton Hills.

For Mississauga or Brampton, no rebate program would be offered by the City as neither provides sanitary sewer services. The Region of Peel is the upper tier municipal government, as you should know from your tax bills, and water/sewer bills, and if any rebate program was offered, it would be through the Region of Peel.

That's interesting. In Niagara this program is handled by the city and not the Region itself.

I got it done this year after my basement flooded. It took the plumbers a few hours.

TO_raptor wrote: ↑...it just baffles me why Mississauga is lagging behind with incentives.

I'm kind of baffled why a city or region WOULD offer these kind of incentives. If a resident's basement floods, it's really between the homeowner and the insurance company isn't it? What does the city/region have to gain by helping the homeowner pay for this? If anything, the insurance companies should be offering the rebates. I'd much rather my tax dollars went to something else!

@mrwally you are right. this is like putting the car in a the garage and having immobilizers on them or putting alarms in the house - some of which insurance eventually benefits from by not having to pay out. so absolutely insurance should offer either incentives or discounts to homeowners that install these safeguards.
But it is so in the municipalities i mentioned in the first post - that the local gov steps in and funds part of the installation.

@whitedart: you may be on to something. I checked this link and read on the wikipedia page about regional municipality of peel - that like Halton, it is a multi-tier municipality where each city is also a local municipality. Peel is comprised of a joint council represented by the three mayors (caledon, sauga and btown) along with proportional represetation from the cities. http://www.peelregion.ca/council/counci ... ississauga I wonder if the fact that Mississauga and Brampton mayors are at war (or have been) with each other nothing gets approved so this type of a rebate across the region never makes the floor of the council.

@l69norm: Yes - back in 2008 August there was a flood, region of peel reps asked people to report if their house was impacted within a certain timeframe. and then the ones that registered themselves a flooded got the incentive option to install the valves/sump pumps. so far only a handful used that rebate from the 2008 flood. My motivation is to influence the region/city to get the region to make this available across the board... like Halton.

mrwally wrote: ↑I'm kind of baffled why a city or region WOULD offer these kind of incentives. If a resident's basement floods, it's really between the homeowner and the insurance company isn't it? What does the city/region have to gain by helping the homeowner pay for this? If anything, the insurance companies should be offering the rebates. I'd much rather my tax dollars went to something else!

Edit....:

Think about it this way:

1. Mississauga was an amalgamation of smaller towns that occurred over many years. The infrastructure that was installed back then never anticipated the huge amount of growth that we have today (permeable surfaces replaced by pavement and houses)
2. Even the new city neighbourhoods being built today were designed over 5 years ago and the city plan that called for those neighbourhoods ( and roughly laid out what sewer infrastructure might be required) is probably 10 years old or more . City designers back then had absolutely no idea of the severity of the climatic change we have today. The old standards and documentation (like flood plain mapping) the city designers used back then would have been even more outdated
3. Things that are already in place like street grades, lot plans drainage, neighbourhood drainage plans, sewers, etc now are almost impossible to change economically today. Imagine tearing up city streets to install bigger sewer lines or regrading house lots, school fields and city parks to drain water in new directions
4. City/regional infrastructure budgets have been cut over many years now so sewer upgrades that were originally planned were either delayed or cancelled. (i.e the city designers sized for what they thought would happen plus X%. Everyone thought they could rely on the extra X%, so upgrades were deferred, no one realized that X% extra would still be under sized)
5. Similarly, city/region manpower budgets were slashed so regular maintenance activities (such as clearing out storm drains, removing silt/vegetation from creek beds, etc) were deferred, further reducing the limited drainage capacity (tax dollars being saved or spent somewhere else)

So what we we ended up with is an undersized water drainage handling infrastructure (sewers, neighbourhood drainage, etc) for what's needed today. For the city and region to resize everything would be too expensive. If everyone installs the backflow preventers, it allows the city/region to intelligently make affordable infrastructure upgrades. This is why the city/region/insurance companies should subsidize the installation of backflow preventers

Back water valved are highly recommended. I'm a licensed plumber who has installed hundreds with no call backs or issues. However, I have gotten calls saying how happy they are when their neghbor is flooded and they are safe.

If youre interested in an install I will give you a special RFD price. Also, i have an amazing referral program $$$

josh160 wrote: ↑Back water valved are highly recommended. I'm a licensed plumber who has installed hundreds with no call backs or issues. However, I have gotten calls saying how happy they are when their neghbor is flooded and they are safe.

If youre interested in an install I will give you a special RFD price. Also, i have an amazing referral program $$$

Thanks Josh I had mine installed soon after the flood. But i am sure other folks that have to yet install will be in touch. Also it would nice for the folks on this thread to support their opinion about benefits or follies of the valve and/or sump pump with personal experiences and examples (as opposed to online experiences) which will help educate others new to the idea as well.
To focus on the priority I hope to garner support via this thread to direct the attention of Region's council towards this important issue being intentionally sidelined.

josh160 wrote: ↑Back water valved are highly recommended. I'm a licensed plumber who has installed hundreds with no call backs or issues. However, I have gotten calls saying how happy they are when their neghbor is flooded and they are safe.

If youre interested in an install I will give you a special RFD price. Also, i have an amazing referral program $$$

What is typically involved in such an installation? breaking concrete? how long does an "ideal" install take?

I'm surprised homes are built without them these days. Mine has one, so I thought it was the norm in the GTA. (Mine was added after the fact by previous owners, but that's because it's a 60 year-old home.)

http://www.peelregion.ca/pw/water/sewag ... -valve.htm

Eligibility

You are eligible for the Sanitary Backwater Valve Rebate Program if:

You have reported previous rain storm based basement flooding to the Region of Peel, can provide proof of a flood-related insurance claim or live within an area prone to flooding (according to Regional records); and
You have not received a subsidy from the Region of Peel through previous basement flooding remediation programs.

The program requirements include:

Have all of your downspouts disconnected
Apply for a building permit from the City of Brampton, Mississauga or the Town of Caledon
Ensure a 'normally open type' sanitary backwater valve is installed that adheres to the Ontario Building Code
Have your sanitary backwater valve inspected and your building permit signed by the municipal inspector
Submit a Sanitary Backwater Valve Rebate Program application form

City of Mississauga does require a permit although the city has waived the permit fee.

http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/reside ... WOF25W2PW0

Let's just say out of everywhere else in Central Ontario to South Ontario, Mississauga is literally the "lowest" point. All of the rainwater etc. flows into Mississauga.