City orders residents to evacuate northwest Edmonton condo

EDMONTON, ALTA. – The City of Edmonton issued an “order to vacate” on Sept. 5 to residents of Castledowns Pointe in northwest Edmonton.

A structural inspection concluded the building is unsafe for occupancy, a city statement said.

“It is the responsibility of the building owner and their contracted building manager to ensure this direction is followed until such time as a full building review and structural engineering assessment can be done and sufficient temporary and/or permanent remedial action has been taken that makes the units safe for habitation again,” the statement said.

The City of Edmonton said in a Sept. 6 email to the Journal of Commerce it became aware of structural concerns after the structural engineer for the condominium contracted City of Edmonton on Sept. 1.

“While the city cannot provide specific details on the engineering issues, we can advise that the structural engineering report has noted concerns with load transfers. Load transfers refer to the way a building carries its load through to the ground,” the email stated.

The original building permit for Castledowns Pointe identified 83 dwelling units and a building permit for the project was issued in August 1999. A fire occurred in March at which time several residents moved out of the building.

The city will monitor the situation to ensure appropriate remedial action is taken, it said in the statement, and if not taken the City of Edmonton has the authority under the national building code to “take enforcement action to compel the owner to take the remedial actions required to ensure public safety.”

Under the National Building Code – Alberta Edition (the Code) section 2.2.15.1, once a building has been granted occupancy, it is the building owner’s responsibility to ensure the building is maintained and remains in good structural condition. 

The City of Edmonton is unable to provide details about the builder or engineering firm on record for this project due to privacy legislation, the email stated.

“Given that a registered professional engineer has already inspected the building, the city will not do its own inspection. We will be connecting with the ownership group to follow up and permits will be required for any remedial action,” the email said.