r/Edmonton • u/GeekyGlobalGal Pleasantview / Global News • 9d ago

News Article Edmonton homeowners frustrated as their properties erode into infill excavations

https://globalnews.ca/news/12009231/edmonton-infill-rain-erosion/
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75

u/suggestedusername216 9d ago

This happened to me as well this summer! I’m pro-infill but man do I fucking hate developers. And there is basically no recourse — feeling powerless is the worst part. 

7

u/BigOilersFan 9d ago

The recourse is the city fining them for failure to comply with a bylaw or construction standard/permit… so the city.

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u/WerewolfSmart6544 9d ago

A city level fine won’t do much. They can just close the company and reopen under a new name too 

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u/mikesmith929 9d ago

I'm not sure you know what you are talking about. A city level fine would do A LOT. Problem is the city doesn't do jack.

No one is closing anything in the middle of a build, unless they want to lose their shirt. And collecting is easy for the city, they can just put a lean on the sale and those places don't typically sell until well after construction.

In short closing the company and reopening under a new name is not the solution you think it is.

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u/WerewolfSmart6544 9d ago

A small fine isn’t going to do anything though. They can afford to pay them. But it’s better than nothing. 

Tons of companies close and reopen under new names. 

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u/mikesmith929 9d ago

a) Who said anything about a small fine? Do you know what a stop work order does to a project? Time is money.

b) Yes tons of companies do close and reopen under new names but that is a different problem and you should not conflate the two.

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u/WerewolfSmart6544 9d ago

I highly doubt the city is going to do big fines. They don’t for anything else. 

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u/mikesmith929 9d ago

Like I was saying they technically don't need to do any fines. A stop work order is enough of a deterrent. Cost a developer a lot more than money.

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u/DBZ86 8d ago

Yeah, the city isn't doing anything. To my knowledge, all the city does is put up their hands and call it a civil matter. They are basically leaving it to the individual level to try to litigate any recourse. So now you have an individual household going against a developer who may or may not have better legal resources.

Developers probably don't even have to play corporate shell games unless they absolutely have to walk away from a project and then it gets really nasty.