SASKATOON – The City of Saskatoon says the Nutana slope failure slowed considerably over late summer and fall but it cannot predict if, or when, it will happen again. Officials say they will continue to monitor the failure between the areas of 11th Street East and Saskatchewan Crescent and provide affected homeowners with updates as needed.
Some of those homeowners spoke to council on Monday afternoon and said while they will do what they can to protect their homes, the solution needs to include the city as the primary stakeholder.
“It’s a bit of a pipe dream to think that we can get together and coordinate something as complicated as this and so the reality is that without civic leadership there will be no solution,” said Mark Lees.
“There will be more movement, more damages, more losses and I think the city has the duty to take the leadership role in the name of public safety.”
“Keeping affected homeowners safe is a top priority for the City of Saskatoon,” says Saskatoon Fire Department Chief Dan Paulsen. “This is why the city has been involved with mon itoring this situation and keeping affected residents informed since it occurred in 2012.”
Property owners are allowed access to the lane at their own risk to attempt to stabilize their properties. City officials are also encouraging homeowners to retain an engineer to assist with their efforts. An evacuation alert was lifted by the city in September.
The matter has now been referred to administration for further exploration, with a report due back to executive committee by March.
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