Alberta to demolish 17 homes affected by 2013 flooding

The province of Alberta has decided to demolish 17 homes along the Elbow River that were damaged by the massive flooding in 2013.

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday that the province evaluated its options and determined that removing the floodway homes was the best solution.

“Most of these homes sustained significant flood damage, and a lack of timely remediation work has contributed further to their state of disrepair,” the ministry said in the statement. “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. Government lawyers have also advised that this would pose a significant liability risk to taxpayers.”

As the removal of the homes proceeds, Municipal Affairs Minister Danielle Larivee and Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi are seeking feedback from Elbow Park residents on their vision for the long-term recovery of the community. Community members will have the opportunity to meet with the minister and mayor directly in January to help determine the short-term use of the properties sold to the province as part of the Floodway Relocation Program, the statement said.

In addition to the meeting hosted by Larivee, Nenshi and local city councillors, residents are also invited to provide written feedback by emailing minister.municipalaffairs@gov.ab.ca.

“In my many conversations with residents of these communities, the desire to move forward with these properties – sooner rather than later – has been consistent,” Nenshi said. “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.”

Once flood mitigation on the Elbow River is complete, it may be possible to rebuild in some of the areas that are currently vulnerable to flooding, the statement concluded.