Two Terra Ridge residents are still in limbo after their home was one of four declared uninhabitable by the City of Williams Lake.
Scott and Lina Cameron are not sure what to do next, as they hold out hope for help from the city or province.
The couple own one of four homes in the Terra Ridge development which have been deemed uninhabitable due at least in part to a historic, slow-moving landslide in the area, which has left them feeling stranded.
They purchased their home more than 20 years ago as their “forever home” due to its level entry, strata property maintenance, and many other features, including a spectacular view of the lake.
The damage to their home and the city then declaring it uninhabitable means the couple are uncertain where to turn for help.
Landslide damage, especially historic, is apparently exempt from insurance coverage. The BC Ministry of Finance said the Hodgson Road landslide is historic and well-documented and insurance companies are private businesses the province does not have the authority to “prescribe product design or regulate pricing.”
Without an insurance payout, and no direct financial support from the province or city at this point, the couple are essentially left with few options.
“We can’t afford to move once, let alone twice,” said Lina, as she explains how they rent a nearby room in another unit and continue to slowly work on packing their home up, but have not found a new home to go to.
They have continued to look at properties, but finding something they can afford with no equity in the home they had has been challenging, and as they are both seniors, they want to have something suitable for aging in place.
They are the last holdouts of the four units declared uninhabitable.
The couple said one neighbour was able to purchase a small house, though they hinted the home has not been as suitable for the seniors.
One neighbour reportedly went into a care facility and another went to live with a daughter.
But the Camerons said they don’t have those options.
“I just feel we bought here in good faith and we shouldn’t be kicked out with nothing,” said Scott.
The Camerons are also concerned for their fellow Terra Ridge residents, whose insurance costs for their units have since gone from $125,000 per year to $425,000 for the remaining 76 units, which is a large annual cost increase for seniors on fixed incomes. Provincial law requires strata organizations to hold insurance on strata properties.
A drop in property values for the remaining units after a state of local emergency was declared in September 2023, then lifted in April 2024, means the residents wanting to move also can’t access the amount of equity they thought they had in their homes.
Brad Follack, president of the strata council for the Terra Ridge residents, said the remaining properties are being closely monitored for movement.
“For the other 76 units we have seen no land movement issues,” said Follack.
He suggested the four units may have been built on insufficiently compacted fill and this combined with groundwater issues could have led to the problems with those units.
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI) has been doing work above Terra Ridge which may help, said Follack.
They said they have completed phase one of work in the area to redirect surface water around Terra Ridge.
The Dog Creek Road realignment and Terra Ridge and other development in the area took place within about a five-year period, said Gary Deane, manager of planning and development for the city of Williams Lake.
He said engineering studies done after a local state of local emergency was declared in September of 2023 attributed the movement in the four units to the historic slide.
The strata was able to access the provincial disaster relief funds to have those done, which otherwise would have cost the residents nearly $340,000, said Deane.
Follack also said Terra Ridge was built on existing streambeds and the water from above may have ended up following this path.
MoTI’s work to redirect the surface water above could help ensure more damage doesn’t take place, however the results won’t be measurable for a couple of years.
He said they continue to share updates with insurance providers on their monitoring and the lack of movement, but so far, they have not had any domestic insurance companies willing to provide coverage. For now, the strata members are all responsible for the $300,000 increased insurance cost per year, averaging out to an average of $4,000 increase for property owners, which Follack said is a lot for seniors on fixed incomes.
Follack also said the owners of the four units which have been declared uninhabitable are still being supported by the strata as they search for a possible solution.
A structural engineer has provided a quote for doing an assessment of the units and whether they might be repaired and the strata is also looking for a geotechnical company to assess the cause of the damage.
“It’s almost a full-time job right now, dealing with this,” he said, noting the majority of the people currently living in the development are still very happy in Terra Ridge.
“It’s still a great place to live, we just would like to get out from underneath this stigma.”
For their part, Deane said the city is still championing the cause on behalf of residents, both at the provincial and federal government levels.
“You really feel for the people that live up in that area and are affected by it,” he said.
A state of local emergency had been declared for the property on Sept. 15, 2023, and was lifted April 10, 2024, after an engineering report found all but the four units with do no occupy orders in effect were considered safe.
The B.C. Ministry of Finance said the BC Financial Services Authority (BCFSA) is working with peer regulators and the property and casualty insurance sector to explore ways to enhance existing practices to help Canadians better understand how natural catastrophes could affect their homes.
For information on what homeowners/potential buyers should consider with respect to landslides, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/public-safety-and-emergency-services/emergency-preparedness-response-recovery/embc/preparedbc/preparedbc-guides/preparedbc_landslide_info_for_homeowners_and_home_buyers.pdf
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include a response from the B.C. Ministry of Finance and relevant link.
