A total of 25 families remain out of their homes, almost a year to the day after a deliberately-set explosion levelled a Mississauga neighbourhood.

The June 28, 2016 blast at 4201 Hickory Drive sent debris flying hundreds of metres in every direction, prompting authorities to issue an evacuation order that initially affected about 800 residences.

Within a few days of the blast, most residents were given the all-clear to return home but building code orders were issued to the owners of 69 homes that were deemed unfit to be occupied as a result of damage from the explosion.

At a news conference on Tuesday, officials revealed that 25 of those homes still remain empty and are in various stages of reconstruction, one year later.

The properties that remain vacant include houses on Hickory Drive, townhouses off of Dixie Road and condo townhomes on Rathburn Drive.

“It’s taken a lot longer than I had hoped,” Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie told reporters. “We have done everything we can to expedite the rebuilding process, including the issuing of permits, everything we can. There has seemed to be delays with the construction process and insurance companies as well. I would have liked to see it move a lot faster, no question.”

Crombie said she was initially told that all residents would be back in their homes by Christmas and is saddened that some have still been unable to return.

She said that the city has waived the municipal portion of the property tax bill for residents who have been unable to return to their homes, which has amounted to $30,885.

As well, she said that the city is also continuing to provide displaced residents with number of other supports through the Office of Emergency Management and if necessary will consider waving the 2017 property tax payments for the small number of families affected.

“If we need to provide tax relief for 2017, I am sure we would vote to do so once again,” she said.

Crombie says it is time for insurance companies ‘to do their part’

While Crombie said that it is now time for the “insurance companies to do their part” in order to get residents back in their homes, a representative for the Insurance Bureau of Canada told CP24 that adjustors aren’t dragging their feet.

“It is not just the insurance companies that have been involved in the process,” Director of Consumer and Industry Relations Pete Karageorgos said. “There was a delay in getting access to these properties because there was an active investigation, it was about a month in. Then you have to factor in that you need engineers, building officials to review the homes to make sure that the repairs that are needed are actually addressed and then architects to draw out what is needed . There's a whole host of contractors and officials behind the process.”

Fire officials have previously said that the June 28 explosion was the result of an intentional double-suicide, in which 55-year-old Robert Nadler his 55-year-old wife Diane Page deliberately disconnected natural gas pipes connected to their hot water tank in an attempt to trigger a blast.

Both perished in the ensuing explosion.