.

Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

TSIIGEHTCHIC/ARCTIC RED RIVER - James Cardinal isn't sure what to expect when the warm weather arrives, but he hopes the GNWT Housing Corporation will approve moving his home to a new lot.

Cardinal's home is located along the northern bank of the community of Tsiigehtchic where erosion and ground movement is causing his home to shift down the bank.

The cliff where the Roman Catholic Church lies in Tsiigehtchic was moving in 2006, with large cracks appearing in the ground. Now James Cardinal's home on the north bank of the community is beginning to slide down the embankment. - NNSL file photo

"The walls have lots of cracks in them, they're really bad," Cardinal said. "It's beginning to slide down the bank."

Cardinal said the ground is beginning to loosen due to warmer temperatures and the thawing of the permafrost. He said he began to notice it last year and it's continued to worsen.

"The pilings under the home are started to move, they're loosening up," he said. "Once spring hits and the sun is out more and penetrating the ground I don't know what is going to happen. The ground seems to be moving." Cardinal said housing corporation inspectors were at his house recently to look at what was happening. He was told a recommendation was going to be made to move the home to another location away from the bank, he said.

"I'm happy with that," Cardinal said. "I'd rather have it moved, it's not safe to be living here." A letter was faxed to Mackenzie-Delta MLA David Krutko regarding the situation. Cardinal is hoping for emergency funding to move the home.

"He's a hard man to get a hold of," Cardinal said of Krutko. "I hope he will be able to help us somehow." News/North's calls to the NWT Housing Corporation and Krutko were not returned by press time.

This isn't the first time the community of 125 has dealt with land issues along the banks of the Arctic Red River. In October 2006, Tsiighetchic residents were concerned about the cliff side near the Roman Catholic Church where large cracks began to appear in the ground. One fissure cut into the town cemetery, and areas of the cliff were beginning to drop off.

Itai Katz, Cardinal's neighbour, said he isn't as concerned about the ground movement as Cardinal is. "Our house isn't slumping down, not yet," he said, adding it's a question of time. "It's global warming. It's not something we think will happen next year. I think maybe in 20 years but not anytime soon. I'll have to watch during the spring to see if there is any change, but I'm not concerned."

Katz said global warming in the future might cause many homes to be moved due to the changes in temperature. "As the ground starts melting and thawing out they'll have to move many homes in the future," he said. "The foundation system is built to work with permafrost, not unthawed ground. It's not anything to worry about in the short-term, maybe farther down the road."