
Residents of the newly opened Hadgraft Wilson Place affordable housing apartment on Bertram Street are worried after cracks began appearing in their building from vibrations at the UBCO construction site.
Damage from the construction site has already caused two neighbouring buildings to close—the Legion Hall on Bertram and the Okanagan coLab at the corner of St. Paul Street and Doyle Avenue.
Now, possible damage to the Hadgraft Wilson building which opened in June and offers 58 units of affordable housing and 10 for clients of Pathways Abilities Society, has residents wondering if their building will be next.
Many of the residents have physical or mental disabilities.
Some amount of settling is normal for any recently constructed building, but one resident who didn't want to be identified said the damage, in their opinion, is pretty bad.
"There is damage to every floor. Cracks in the walls, the ceilings, doors that won't open, an elevator that sometimes won't work," the resident stated.
"If you are facing the building, the far back left corner is cracked all the way from the parkade up to the fifth floor. They are deep cracks.
"We are told there is no structural damage but we see more every day. Everybody is quite concerned."
Part of the concern is trying to get people out who are in wheelchairs or have other mobility issues should an emergency arise.
There is also frustration that BC Housing and the building operator are not saying much about the situation.
"All they are telling us is don't worry, the building's safe."
Another person with a son in the building says she believes the city should stop construction of the UBCO tower until such time as all of the issues with surrounding buildings have been addressed.
"My son has called me several times to say he feels the building moving and sending me more pictures of damage that seems to be happening on a daily basis," the parent stated in an email.
"As a person with disabilities, his anxiety is extremely high and he is scared the building will collapse."
Residents are also concerned about where to go if they feel the building is not safe.
City risk manager Lance Kayfish acknowledges the situation but reiterated the building is safe.
"Some cracking and movement has occurred at the building. The building has been assessed by a structural engineer and remains safe. Assessment and monitoring is ongoing," said Kayfish in an email to Castanet.
"UBC has been in touch with representatives for the building for several weeks now. They are working on providing updates for the tenants also."
In an email late Friday, BC Housing says it is aware of the damage to the building and are "working with Pathways Ability Society, the building operator, the City of Kelowna and UBCO to assess and mitigate the harms as quickly as possible."
They reiterate there is no risk to tenants in the building and they can continue to stay in their homes.
"A geotechnical assessment of the site is scheduled to be completed in the coming weeks. Once completed, BC Housing will review the identified issues and develop an appropriate remediation plan, in addition to monitoring for any future issues. BC Housing will work with all parties to ensure that damage is repaired," BC Housing stated.
"BC Housing empathizes with the tenants who are experiencing disruptions due to the damage. The Society is currently engaging with tenants and working with them to resolve any concerns while the assessment is conducted."
The 43-storey UBC Okanagan tower planned for 550 Doyle Avenue includes a four-storey underground parkade, a first for Kelowna that requires a large excavation.
In a previous statement to Castanet, UBC Okanagan spokesperson Nathan Skolski said they have been in close contact with impacted neighbours.
"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 structures,” he said.

