Families ordered out of cliffside homes over slumping in Moose Jaw

The retirement dream of a Moose Jaw, Sask., resident is slipping away into the Wakamow Valley.

Ian Searle's home is in an area deemed unsafe by the citydue to slumping. He and a family member across the street have been ordered to vacate the land by the end of July.

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Searle, a former Snowbird pilot, now has only a couple of months to find a new house to retire to, as well as to bulldoze or move the one he has.

He also has to quickly say goodbye to his retirement dream of a cliffside view.

The timeline is leaving him in shock and disbelief.

"I understand that this house can't stay here," said Searle, but he takes issue with"the timeline, and that there wasn't a plan communicated to me in the past, letting me know what it was so I could make a plan. Now it's just a very difficult situation."

According to a letter from the City of Moose Jaw, his property at 820 Skipton Rd. is likely to slump further this year.

Already part of the soil underneath Searle's front fence has crumbled into the river valley below.

"This presents an unsafe condition to both the land and the buildings," reads the letter.

Mayor Fraser Tolmie echoed the letter. He said the main concern is for resident safety. He also notedpossible water and gas line issues.

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Searle said he plans to appeal the order to vacate. The mayor wouldn't comment on details about the slumping situation due to the court procedure.

As it stands, if Searle doesn't leave by July 31, he faces up to a $5,000 fine, with another $500 each day he stays thereafter.

Residents want city action

Neighbours are starting to rally around the issue, hoping for more preventative measures from the city.

"We want to know what the city's plan is, because I don't want to be served an eviction notice with two and a half months to spare to figure out what's going on," said James Benn, who lives with his wife and son two doors down from Searle.

Benn said his property was rezonedin Mayas "slumping." The new designation comes with building restrictions and future uncertainty.

"Basically we're stuck here for now and the property value has dropped," Benn said. "It's kind of a slap in the face."