Mayfair hotel demolition goes wrong in Edmonton

An investigation is underway after the demolition of a building sent construction debris falling into downtown Edmonton’s main street last week.

“Workers were demolishing a section of the Mayfair hotel, when debris fell outside the retaining wall,” said Alberta Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) spokesperson Barrie Harrison. “The sidewalk and the street were closed to traffic at the time and there were no injuries.”

The five-storey hotel swayed from side to side and collapsed onto Jasper Avenue at about 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 11. It crushed the hoarding and blocked the sidewalk and eastbound traffic.

The so-called controlled collapse marked the end of demolition work that began in May. Debris also fell onto the roof of a Corona Light Rapid Transit Station entrance, which was blocked off for the final stage of the demo.

“We ordered the prime contractor to undertake an investigation and we will go over the findings with them,” said Harrison.

“Our investigator still needs to talk to the demolition company, but this is in the works.”

The prime contractor on the project is Clark Builders.

McColman and Sons Demolition Ltd. was responsible for the demo.

The OH&S investigation is interested in the safety of workers on the site.

The City of Edmonton is also investigating what went wrong with the demolition to see if the general public was at risk.

“We are taking action in conjunction with the fire safety services,” said Scott Mackie, manager of current planning.

“We are investigating the circumstances to see if there was any violation. The investigation will determine if any action will be taken.”

Mackie said that demolition companies are regulated under the Alberta Safety Code Act, which includes the building code.

The city is responsible for enforcement and ensuring the complete demolition complies with Section 8 of the safety code. However, the demolition plan is the full responsibility of the demolition company’s engineers.

“We do a site visit after the demolition is complete to make sure there are no public safety hazards,” said Mackie.

The Mayfair was built in 1944 and had problems with asbestos and cracked pipes.

It is being removed by ProCura Real Estate to make way for a twin-tower apartment complex, which is expected to house about 900 residents.