{"id":17871,"date":"2025-02-22T01:22:50","date_gmt":"2025-02-22T01:22:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/22\/ubc-properties-trust-responds-to-civil-claim-blaming-it-for-damage-near-construction-site-okanagan\/"},"modified":"2025-02-22T01:22:50","modified_gmt":"2025-02-22T01:22:50","slug":"ubc-properties-trust-responds-to-civil-claim-blaming-it-for-damage-near-construction-site-okanagan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/22\/ubc-properties-trust-responds-to-civil-claim-blaming-it-for-damage-near-construction-site-okanagan\/","title":{"rendered":"UBC Properties Trust responds to civil claim blaming it for damage near construction site – Okanagan"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The group building the UBC-Okanagan tower in downtown Kelowna<\/a>, B.C., has legally responded to a civil claim that blames the construction project for structural damage and subsequent displacement of dozens of people.<\/p>\n

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In that response, UBC Properties Trust<\/a> is not taking full responsibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is like a slap in the face once again,\u201d said Monique Saebels, a former Hadgraft-Wilson Place resident.<\/p>\n

It was March 2024 when cracks started to appear throughout the building, which was not even a year old.<\/p>\n

Several other buildings in the area reported similar damage, which occurred during the construction project\u2019s excavation phase.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was pretty surprised to read UBC Trust defence to our civil claim\u2026the sheer lack of accountability,\u201d said Megan Beckmann, who also lived in Hadgraft-Wilson Place.<\/p>\n

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The response filed this week states, \u201cUBC Defendants admit that some damage was experienced by Hadgraft-Wilson Place, the CoLab Building, and the Legion Building, but denies the nature and extent of damages alleged, and further denies that all such damage was caused by the excavation and construction activities on the Lands, and put the plaintiffs and putative class members to the strict proof thereof.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The UBC defendants went on to state that,\u00a0 \u201call material times they reasonably relied on the professionals and contractors they had retained to complete the excavation and construction activities safely on the Lands.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe UBC Defendants further deny that any other neighbouring buildings sustained any damage as alleged or at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo not accept responsibility and to speak of your contractors\u2026this is your building. This is your project and you are responsible to get appropriate contractors,\u201d said Saebels.<\/p>\n

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The response comes about nine months after affected residents filed a lawsuit claiming they suffered financial hardship and personal injury including depression, anxiety and stress.<\/p>\n