Grand Forks city council has decided to buy out an entire neighbourhood affected by flooding.
It also plans to buy out high-risk portions of some other neighbourhoods and build three new dikes.
Council said it wants to raise houses and help residents find new places to live.
Several options were presented to city council in an engineering report that was completed over a four-month period.
Residents were consulted through community meetings and a questionnaire.
Council said it considered community feedback and decided to implement the options that provided the lowest long-term risk.
“Council made a tough decision looking to the future,” Mayor Frank Konrad said in a news release.
“Residents needed us to look out for their best interest. We chose the safest options rather than the cheapest because we never want to repeat the flooding we had this year.”
Council hopes to secure funding through provincial and federal grants and partnerships.
Pending confirmation of the funding, the city plans to buy out the entire North Ruckle neighbourhood.
The buyout program will be developed over the next year.
The city said the overall project implementation is planned for the next four years.
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