Up the creek: Regina Beach, Sask., homeowners desperate for support for slumping properties

For the past two years, life has been moving for James Misfeldt and his wife Betty Sellers, literally. Slumping and shifting ground has caused their Regina Beach, Sask.,home to slide in all directions.

They say the value of their home has plummeted andthey can't afford to move or start over.

"It's a lot of stress we're living under. It's not the way I thought that we would go into our old age," Misfeldt said.

The couplebought their dream home in Regina Beach in 1992.

"We're being told we should have had due diligence when we bought the houseand had a geotech come out, structural engineersand yet homes here that had geotechs come and structural engineers and built theirhouses to spec, have had to move their house. So you can't win," Misfeldt said.

"We bought ingood faith and now we've lost everything."

• Regina Beach, Sask. residents asking for help with slumping land
• 1 year after house exploded, concerns remain at Regina Beach

Misfeldtcan roll a ball on his hardwood floor in his livingroom and it will roll back in his direction. Cracks can be seen up the walls and doors don't open all the way.

The Misfeldts and some neighbours both in Regina Beach and around other parts of the Last Mountain Lake valley formed a group dubbed "Up the Creek." They hope by organizing the group, they can accomplish their goals.

But when it comes to Up the Creeknot everyone is in the same boat.

Misfeldt saidhis house cannot be moved because it sits on a hill.Others want money for repairs.Some want their homes moved to another location.

They all agree that provincial disaster assistance should consider ongoing ground slumping a natural disaster and that money should cover those costs accordingly.

PDAPpolicy questioned

Disaster assistance covers one-time events butnot ongoing ground movement. The Misfeldts and their neighbours affected by shifting are covered by provincial disaster assistance because a rain event in June 2014.

The province classified that event as a natural disasterwhich allowed both the Town of Regina Beach and residents to applyfor disaster assistance.

We've lost everything.- James Misfeldt

The Misfeldtshave applied and been granted disaster assistance but have not collected. They have until the end of this month.

Regina Beach:a town on a landslide

Thirty years ago, a study called Regina Beach - a town on a landslideby Regina engineeringfirmClifton Associates was published in the Canadian Geotechnical Journal.

A portion reads:

• "Landsliding along the valley dates back to erosion of the valley following deglaciation about 12,000 years ago."
• "The effects of slope movementson structures have been observed at Regina Beach for several decades."

It concludes:

• "The existinglandslide massis very sensitiveto changes in stress and groundwater conditions. Unrestricted development of such geotechnically sensitiveareacan result in accelerated movements and extensive property damage."

As for the Misfeldts, they didn't know of the report and say the history of the valley has not stopped others from buying and building.

"You assumed that because there was development people had done their due diligence. I guess we trusted too much. We trusted that because a development was allowed on here it must be OK," Misfeldt said.

Government response

GrantHilsenteger,executivedirector ofPDA,said thegovernmentis aware of the concerns of the home owners in Regina Beach regarding eligibility of theirclaims.

He saidPDAPwill cover one-time natural disaster event that has to be approvedand the program is cost shared with the federal government.

"Things that are naturally occurring or longer-term types of phenomenalike recurring erosion or slumping those types of things aren't covered by either program,"saidHilsenteger.

"Unless something changes in the future with the programs. Those (slumping)typesof damages would not be covered,"Hilsentegersaid.

PDAP provides a $40,000 relocation grant for home owners that want their homes physically moved, which has been claimed in a couple of cases.

It also has paid $806,000 dollars to the municipalityof Regina Beach in disaster assistance. Hilsenteger did not have an amount for money paid to home owners in the area.

Development worries

One of the concerns of the home owners in the area is that homes are still being built and lots are being sold in areas where there is significant slumping.

"Communities need to be very cautious when they consider growth because they need to make sure thatwherevergrowth is occurring is an area wherethey are not going to incur future risk,"said Hilsenteger.

"The planning and development act provides municipalitieswith the authority to manage land use and development," Hilsenteger said.

The municipality sets its own development standards.If developers do not follow those guidelines, it could prevent them from collecting on future disaster assistance.

"From PDAP'sperspective, the compliance with those municipal requirements could affecttheir eligibility for assistance under PDAP."

The Up the Creekgroup has met with their MLA Lyle Stewart and their MP Tom Lukiwski and other government officials.

The ministryof government relations, the department responsible forPDAP, has told the group its newministerDonna Harpauer will meet with them this month.