Insurance claims, financial losses take toll on N.S. wildfire victims [Video]

Walking around the concrete foundation of their home in Upper Tantallon, N.S., Peter Walsh and his son Reilly are finally imagining what it will look like and where the rooms will be.

“It’s been a lot of stress and a lot of figuring things out as we go,” Peter Walsh said, referring to the insurance claim process that has taken up a lot of his time and energy.

Losing their home to the fire, finding somewhere to live in the meantime, while also trying to replace some of their possessions has been a huge upheaval to the family.

“It just hasn’t really felt real,” said 14-year-old Reilly Walsh, who has a 12-year-old brother and a sister, who is nine. 

Their Westwood Hills home was one of 151 lost to the wildfire that started on May 28 in the suburban communities west of downtown Halifax last year, causing an estimated $165 …