'Ancient landslide' forces couple in their 80s out of their Williams Lake, B.C., home

Debbie Graham's parents have been evacuated from their Williams Lake, B.C., home because it sits on unstable ground and has developed significant cracks in its foundation.

Bob Widdoes, 88, and Marolene Widdoes, 84, are staying in a local hotel for an indefinite period of time. And while Graham is thankful for the help they're getting from provincial emergency support services, she's concerned about the impact this upheaval is having on her parents.

"The hardest part that you need to understand is that my parents are old," Graham told CBC, breaking into tears.

"And it's mentally affecting them. Like my mom just wants to die. She just cries and cries."

Graham's parents live in Terra Ridge, an 80-unit housing complex in Williams Lake, in B.C.'s Interior, about 240 kilometres south of Prince George.

In response to an actively moving landslide that an engineering firm says has resulted in "major structural issues," the city declared a local state of emergency on Sept. 29.

The couple reside in one of four units under an evacuation order. Residents of the 76 other units — many also elderly — are on evacuation alert. Graham, 62, and her husband David, 74, are among those on alert.

The geological uncertainty surrounding the site and the complex's structural integrity have residents wondering about the long-term viability of living at Terra Ridge and their ability to sell their homes.

The situation also has Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Lorne Doerkson of the opposition B.C. United party pushing the province to expand the parameters of its Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) program so residents qualify for long-term help.

Complex on 'ancient landslide'

Terra Ridge is located on a hillside near Highway 20, just south of downtown Williams Lake.

Coun. Sheila Boehm says she has been informed the complex is on "an ancient landslide," and water is flowing into the land.

Graham says other structures in the area have also been affected, including a building that was condemned "two or three years ago" because "it had such movements that the middle of the floor moved like a foot apart, and a foot difference in height."

Graham says she bought her residence in 2018 to be closer to her parents, who have been there for about 16 years.

While "there was talk" about the possibility of unstable land at the time she purchased the property, Graham says, she "didn't really" know the full potential for problems.

Graham says she first became aware of physical damage at Terra Ridge "when cracks started to show up" in the walls of a neighbouring unit in 2019 or 2020.

At some point afterward, she says a crack started to appear in the floor of her parents' garage.

She says that gap is now wide enough to put a broom handle into, "and it doesn't reach ground."

'Extensive movement' ongoing in some units: report

A Sept. 21 report by Octo Engineering Inc. says Terra Ridge is located on "an actively moving landslide," with ground movement of "over 0.5 metres between 2019 and 2021."

The report says a late-August walk-through of the 80 units — and the complex's clubhouse — revealed major structural issues in some of them, including "structural cracking, settlement, and movement."

Those units fall under an "unsafe/uninhabitable" category, which pose "safety or livability concerns," the report says.

"Issues include cracks larger than 25mm in width, significant house settling, shifting, or drifting. Structural cracks occur in various structural elements, including walls, foundations, and slabs. These extensive cracks signify that extensive movement is ongoing."

Other units are placed in a "monitoring" category, meaning they "have structural concerns that are not immediately hazardous but require ongoing monitoring and potential future action. Issues may include minor cracks, which could worsen over time."

There is also a "safe" category in the report, which "exhibit minor or no structural issues and are considered safe for occupancy. Structural elements are in good condition as far as we inspected, and there are no significant cracks or signs of house settling, shifting, or tilting."

For homes in that category, the report recommends "routine maintenance and monitoring … to maintain structural integrity."

While Graham's primary concern is for her parents, she says she's worried about the future livability of her Terra Ridge home. And, should she decide to sell, she wonders who would buy.

"Our places all went from being worth $400,000 to nothing."

MLA pushes for change

The city says it declared the local state of emergency as a precautionary measure.

Emergency operations director Evan Dean says four properties were issued "do not occupy" orders on Sept. 15 in response to the Octo Engineering report, which was procured by the Terra Ridge strata.

Williams Lake councillor speaks about the state of the local emergency

1 year ago

Duration 1:05

The local emergency was declared after concerns about the structural integrity of homes in the complex known as Terra Ridge. Coun. Sheila Boehm says the complex is on an "ancient landslide," which is part of a wider problem in the district.

The city says it is working on having its own assessments done, that it has notified all relevant agencies, and is working with provincial emergency management to address the situation.

Doerkson, the Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA, says the emergency support services being offered, including hotel accommodations, are "temporary at best" and he'd like to see the province broaden the scope of its DFA program so people in situations like this qualify for long-term assistance.

"While Disaster Financial Assistance may support residents in British Columbia in other situations, it's frankly not working in this one," Doerkson told CBC, noting any loss must fall under the definition of "sudden" for impacted individuals to get help.

"In my mind [this Terra Ridge situation] is absolutely defined as sudden," Doerkson said. "However, technically, under Disaster Financial Assistance, that is not going to qualify."

Under the program, claimants can be compensated for 80 per cent of eligible claims, to a maximum claim of $300,000.

Doerkson says he has met with Bowinn Ma, B.C.'s Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, and initiated a public letter-writing campaign to Ma and Premier David Eby in an effort to get Terra Ridge residents help through the program.

"Both of them are definitely aware of the situation," said Doerkson, who has also spoken about the matter in the Legislature.

Holding out hope

Doerkson says it's unclear if the four evacuated Terra Ridge units will have to be demolished.

"If the path we're on is the path we're on — and if we're going to stay on this path — then yes, I would suggest that at some point those four homes will have to be dealt with," he said. "They won't leave them standing. They're a liability if we get to that point."

For now, Graham says her parents will continue to stay at the hotel, at least until she can get them moved to another location.

"Hopefully now we're on a track to get [help]," Graham said. "The movement has started. We all know it's going to be long, probably."