Iqaluit to warn homeowners over blocked culverts

Some leaseholders in the Plateau Subdivision can expect to get a letter in the mail from city hall.

Michele Bertol, Iqaluit’s director of planning and lands, told a meeting of the city’s engineering and public works committee that some homeowners have filled in ditches in front of their homes, blocking culverts and creating a flood risk.

“They completely blocked the drainage ditch,” Bertol told councillors. “It completely runs into a wall.”

So the city will be sending out letters to five leaseholders in Plateau phases one and two, warning that they’ll be held responsible for the cost of any repairs, should the blocked ditches cause erosion and road damage.

Bertol said the ditches were likely filled in to expand parking space in front of properties. That would be okay, as long as the leaseholder got a development permit first and the work didn’t block culverts.

Following a suggestion from Coun. Mary Wilman, Bertol said the letter will encourage leaseholders to approach city hall for guidance on how to fix the problem.