P.E.I. business owner fed up after months of trying to tap into Fiona relief funds

Looking at it today, Steven Jackson's property in Stanhope is a far cry from what you could see in the days after Fiona hit. 

He's the owner of Surf Cottages, a three-cottage lot nestled on the North Shore overlooking the waves. In September, after the hugely destructive post-tropical storm tore through Prince Edward Island, nearly every tree on his 1.4-hectare property was down.

"Basically, there was only two small trees that were left over at the end of the hurricane. So we lost 99 per cent of our trees," he said.

"It was devastating."

All told, Jackson is more than $1 million deep into his North Shore cottage business.

He bought the land and its three cottages for $850,000 two years ago, and said he has spent more than $150,000 on a line of credit to clean up the Fiona debris.

If I'm clearly not a day-to-day manager, I don't know what that looks like.— Steven Jackson

Jackson's insurance wouldn't cover the costs of tree removal, he said.

He figured he'd get some of those covered from P.E.I.'s Provincial Disaster Financial Assistance Program (PDFAP), which is being administered through the Canadian Red Cross, but his application for funding was denied in June.

"Here we are now, 11 months later [after Fiona] and I still haven't got a dime from the coverage of what I was supposed to get," he said.

"I've done a very big investment here. I pay property taxes… It's very disheartening. I can't be the only person who's going through it."

'I'm just absolutely lost'

Jackson is the owner and operator of several small businesses on Prince Edward Island, and submitted two claims through the small business stream of the Provincial Disaster Financial Assistance Program. One was for Surf Cottages, another for St. Peter's Bay Guide.

The Canadian Red Cross's rejection letter cites three criteria for aid that led to Jackson's claim being denied.

• Businesses must have yearly gross revenues of at least $10,000 but not exceeding $2 million.
• They must not have more than the equivalent of 20 full-time employees.
• The owner of the business must own at least 50 per cent of it and must be the day-to-day manager.

Jackson said his cottages fall well under the $2 million threshold. He is the owner and sole employee of his cottage business as well as the day-to-day manager. He's also provided the Red Cross with letters from accounting firm Grant Thornton that detail Surf Cottage's revenue and operating costs, staffing, and his involvement as owner.

The Red Cross rejection letter also told Jackson this: "Because you own and are involved with more than one company, we are unable to confirm that the day-to day-management of these companies meets the eligibility requirements under the PDFAP."

He said he's provided all the information he has, and is unsure how else to prove he's the day-to-day manager, since the term is not clearly defined on either the provincial website, the Red Cross website or the federal government website.

Additionally, the federal government website says "one claim should be made per business" and has no stipulation that someone is ineligible if they own or manage multiple small businesses.

The whole thing has left him confused about which businesses would be eligible for the program.

"If I'm clearly not a day-to-day manager, I don't know what that looks like," Jackson said. "I'm just absolutely lost as to what their definitions are."

Appealing the decision

Jackson has appealed the decision, so it will take even longer to figure out whether his businesses are ultimately deemed eligible for funding or not.

In response to his appeal, the Canadian Red Cross told Jackson that in order to proceed with the review, it needs tax information and proof of ownership for all of his businesses as well as "your management involvement in each so that we can determine eligibility.

The Canadian Red Cross letter went on: "We cannot determine whether the businesses for which you have applied meet the criteria of being your primary livelihood or whether you are the day-to-day manager for these businesses without full documentation for the other businesses."  

In a response to this particular case, Canadian Red Cross officials told CBC News that "we are legally required to respect the confidentiality of all applicants and are not authorized to speak publicly about any individual case."

I have to go between the Red Cross website, and the P.E.I. government website, and the federal government's website — and I have to criss-cross back.— Steven Jackson

Jackson said although he owns multiple businesses, it's not like he cannot "just absorb" the more than $150,000 cost of clearing the Stanhope property after Fiona. 

He feels he has taken this further than most people probably would have, in terms of sticking to his guns and appealing.

"I have to go between the Red Cross website, and the P.E.I. government website, and the federal government's website — and I have to criss-cross back. It's very difficult to remain hopeful for sure," Jackson said.

"The whole process — it's just absolutely unbelievable."