CALGARY – The province has decided to remove 17 Elbow Park homes as part of its Floodway Relocation Program.
In a news release, the province stated most of the homes sustained significant damage in the June 2013 floods, and that a lack of timely remediation work has contributed to their state of disrepair.
The province said it evaluated its options and determined removing the floodway homes is the best solution.
“It would be irresponsible to expose any new residents to the risk of flooding by returning these properties to residential use prior to mitigation coming into effect,” the released stated.
“Government lawyers have also advised that this would pose a significant liability risk to taxpayers.”
The province said the task now is to get feedback from the community.
“Decisions by the previous government have left Elbow Park with a patchwork of vacant homes and few satisfactory answers about what will be done to protect the quality of life in these neighbourhoods,” said Danielle Larivee, Minister of Municipal Affairs.
“We are committed to working closely with residents to make the best of this challenging situation and take another step towards recovery in Elbow Park,” she added.
The province said community members will have the opportunity to meet directly with Larivee and Mayor Naheed Nenshi in January to help determine the short-term use of the properties sold to the province.
Area residents can also send written feedback by emailing the municipal affairs minister.
Mayor Nenshi said the desire to move forward with these properties sooner rather than later, has been consistent.
“Now that the provincial government has decided to demolish the homes, I am pleased they have also committed to consult with the City and residents about the future of these properties,” said Nenshi.
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