Who should cover emergency costs for Langford’s RidgeView Place tenants?

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As tenants of RidgeView Place in Langford scramble to get out of their building that’s now been deemed unsafe, many are still waiting for help that hasn’t come.

“There are no options for these people, they’re desperate,” said former Langford mayor Stew Young.

Young says the city should be stepping up in the short term just like it did back in 2019 when he was mayor. At the time, the city put up $300,000 to help people find somewhere else to live.

“This is an emergency this is a reason why they should be using some of their reserve funds to help people like we did last time.”

But the current mayor says news that some residents are being denied insurance means it’s even more critical the building owner, Centurion, steps up immediately. And he intends to make sure it does.

“This was their plan that people would have insurance and that insurance would cover people’s costs. Now that that plan has failed, I want to know exactly what they’re doing because they can’t step away and just say ‘Oops,'” said Mayor Scott Goodmanson.

READ ALSO: Displaced Langford high-rise residents frustrated over lack of answers, support: ‘We deserve to live there’

Goodmanson is pushing for a sit-down meeting with the company’s president. Centurion did not return our repeated requests for comment.

The builder, DB Services, and engineering firm, Sorensen Trilogy, in charge of the original Danbrook One building, said they had no comment on the latest issues affecting the structure.

“Investigations are confidential, and disclosure of even their existence would be seen as a breach of privacy,” said Engineers and Geoscientists of BC, which brought the latest issues to the city’s attention.

It adds that the results of their investigation will only be made public if the committee recommends discipline for those involved.

April LawrenceApril Lawrence

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