All work stopped on UBCO campus
Residents of a 68-suite building in downtown Kelowna next to the new UBCO campus construction site are being evacuated.
Ground shifting caused by excavation work have raised concerns about the safety of the Hadgraft Wilson Place, which is home to people with developmental disabilities.
“Recent assessments have indicated the level of risk is significant enough to begin the evacuation process to ensure the life and safety of occupants,” Kelowna Fire Chief Dwight Seymour said in an unusual Easter Sunday release.
“Additionally, due to the shifting in the building, safety features may be compromised in the event of an emergency, creating additional risk to occupants and first responders,” Seymour said.
Residents were told Sunday they’d have to move out. The evacuation began Monday and was expected to take at least three days.
“We are dedicated to ensuring our tenants receive the support they need during this difficult time,” said Charisse Daley, executive director of the Pathways Abilities Society, the non-profit group that owns and manages Hadgraft Wilson Place at 1360 Bertram St.
“Pathways will work with each tenant to understand their needs and connect them with resources and accommodations as necessary,” Daley said.
For its part, UBC Okanagan has voluntarily suspended all construction activities at the downtown site “until further notice”, the release states.
Engineers will continue to monitor and assess the building and soil movements.
The evacuation of Hadraft Wilson Place and the complete suspension of all work on the university’s 43-storey tower are the latest setbacks for the massive project, being constructed at 550 Doyle Ave.
Cracks in nearby buildings began appearing last year as crews excavated the site to a depth of five-storeys to accommodate an underground parkade. Most downtown Kelowna high-rises constructed in recent years have their parking structures above ground.
A ‘Do Not Occupy’ order was placed on a building immediately across Doyle Avenue and the Kelowna branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, on Bertram Street across an alley from the university site, has been closed since late last year.
City and university officials have consistently said some degree of ground settling was always expected with the construction project.
Ground-penetrating radar has been used to identify changes that could affect the stability of surrounding buildings, and a variety of sensors are being used to track sub-soil shifts, the university said in December last year.
“With the scale and depth of the project, ground settling was always anticipated, and we are in regular communication with neighbouring properties to assess and monitor the impact of construction on their structure,” UBCO spokesman Nathan Skolski wrote in an email last November.
In early March, the excavation work was said to be finished. “The excavation work is now complete and the site will not be dug any further,” Skolksi said on March 1.
“We have been advised by the project engineers that the potential for further settlement issues is unlikely,” he said at the time.
When it is finished, the UBC downtown campus will be the tallest building in the city. Floors under the 10th level will be for academic purposes, with the higher floors containing residences for factually, staff, and students.
It was planned to open in the fall of 2027, but it is currently unknown how the complete cessation of construction at the site “until further notice” will impact that projected opening date.
Both the Vernon Vipers and West Kelowna Warriors closed out the B.C. Hockey League regular season with a pair of weekend wins, while the Penticton Vees stumbled to the finish line with a pair of losses.
The Vees (38-10-3-3) still finished first in the Interior Conference with 82 points and, as the No. 1 seed, with face off against No. 8 Prince George Spruce Kings (16-35-3-0) in the first round of the playoffs.
The Warriors (33-10-11-0) finished with 77 points to become the No. 2 seed and will face the No. 7 Cranbrook Bucks (20-31-3-0).
The Vipers (33-19-2-0) finished with 68 points to become the No. 4 seed and will face off against the No. 5 Trail
Smoke Eaters (28-20-6-0)
The No. 3 Salmon Arm Silverbacks will take on the No. 6 Merritt Centennials in the final Interior Conference playoff series.
The playoffs begin this Friday, April 5, and all rounds are best-of-seven series.
In the Coastal Conference, the No. 1 Surrey Eagles (44-8-2-0) earned the BCHL regular season pennant with 90 points. The Eagles will face off against the No. 8 Cowichan Valley Capitals.
The No. 2 Chilliwack Chiefs will play the No. 7 Langley Rivermen.
The No. 3. Alberni Valley Bulldogs will meet the No. 6 Coquitlam Express.
And the No. 4 Victoria Grizzlies will square off against the No. 5 Nanaimo Clippers.
The final round of the playoffs for the
Fred Page Cup opens May 17. The winner will square off against the top club from the BCHL’s Alberta division in a best-of-three series beginning May 31.
Surrey forwards Caden Cranston and Aaron Schwartz finished first and second in league scoring with 86 and 81 points, respectively.
Felix Caron of the Warriors was third with 31 goals and 69 points.
The Vees’ top scorer was Callum Arnott, with 27 goals and 53 points, while the Vipers top scorer was Hank Cleaves, with 15 goals and 51 points.
Vees’ goaltender Will Ingemann finished the season with the BCHL’s best goals-against average (1.85) and most shutouts (six).
The Vipers are also on the road for back-to-back games in Prince George beginning Friday.