The final pieces of the toppled crane were removed from the Olympus building over the weekend, and now the provincial government is looking to release the site.
The Department of Transportation has been in charge of the site since the province hired two companies to remove the crane in September. Now that that work has been completed, the department is working to clean up the area.
One of the last steps is completing a final 3D scan to determine whether there has been any additional damage sustained during the removal process. The results will be compared to a 3D scan completed at the beginning of the project.
READ MORE: N.S. government once again renews localized state of emergency to finish site cleanup
The future of the Olympus building and its structural integrity will be determined by the developer. Multiple calls to Olympus for comment have not been returned.
On Wednesday, the Department of Municipal Affairs renewed the localized state of emergency for another 14 days.
“A big heavy crane fell over a building, some damage was obviously done, once we are certain that that damage has been secured or taken care of that would likely end the state of emergency,” says Minister of Municipal Affairs Chuck Porter.
- RCMP arrests alleged hitmen accused of killing B.C. Sikh leader
- Fall COVID-19 vaccine guidelines are out. Here’s what NACI recommends
- Some 2019 candidates ‘appeared willing’ to engage with foreign interference: Hogue inquiry
- Thousands of Canada’s rail workers have a strike mandate. What happens now?
In the meantime, the Department of Labour is continuing its investigation into why the crane collapsed during post-tropical storm Dorian but are not giving any comment while the inspection is ongoing.
The results of that inspection will be important and help to determine who is liable, something that will help the province to recoup costs for the removal process.
READ MORE: Last piece of collapsed crane removed from Halifax building
The engineering companies involved in the process have started to submit their bills for the work to the government though the total cost is still unknown.
“At the end of the day when we do nail down what our expenses have been we will be seeking contribution from the various parties,” said Transportation Minister Lloyd Hines.
While work is nearing completion, there is still no timeline when things will get back to normal in the area. Several businesses remain under an evacuation order, but Porter says once the site is deemed safe they will remove the localized state of emergency.
Comments