Residents from Hadgraft Wilson Place at 1360 Bertram Street in Kelowna scrambled to pack and move on April 2, after they were told on Easter Sunday, March 31, that they would have to evacuate due to damage to the building. 

The affordable rental apartment was run by BC Housing and Pathways Abilities Society, which arranged to pay for hotel rooms for evacuated residents for a couple of weeks. 

Kelowna香蕉视频直播檚 Fire Chief Dwight Seymour made the decision to evacuate the building as construction on the University of BC Okanagan downtown Kelowna campus began to cause damage to neighbouring buildings, including the Royal Canadian Legion. 

Seymour said the city forwarded the information to him the week prior to ordering the evacuation from engineers with concerns about ground movement and its impacts on Hadgraft Wilson Place. The fire department did an assessment of the building and brought in their own engineering experts.

The fire department noted two things of major concern. One concern is that additional shifting of the building risks the integrity of safety features. Seymour gave the example of a shift causing a pipe to break and impacting the fire sprinkler system in the event of an emergency.

香蕉视频直播淭here have been issues with doors being able to open and close. So, we want to make sure there wouldn香蕉视频直播檛 be a shift and all of a sudden the resident, in the event of a fire or an emergency, can香蕉视频直播檛 get out of their suite.香蕉视频直播� 

Seymour added it香蕉视频直播檚 a problem in the event of a fire if the doors can香蕉视频直播檛 close properly as smoke and fire can travel faster and allow less time for residents to evacuate.

Hadgraft Wilson Place residents Monique Saebels and Megan Beckmann hosted a meeting on April 7 for all Hadgraft residents able to attend. 

香蕉视频直播淢egan and I are representing the majority of the tenants at Hadgraft Wilson Place,香蕉视频直播� Saebels read out from a written statement. 香蕉视频直播淲e want to thank Pathways and BC Housing for their support through these difficult times, and Fire Chief Dwight Seymour. We are reaching out to our community to ask you all to make your voice heard with UBC and the City of Kelowna.香蕉视频直播�

UBC voluntarily stopped work on the site when Hadgraft Wilson Place residents were ordered to evacuate but resumed construction on April 9. 

In an email to Black Press, Media Relations Strategist with UBCO Patty Wellborn wrote, 香蕉视频直播淲e are advised by professional engineers that the shoring wall remains stable and that raising the excavation depth will also mitigate future soil settlement on adjacent land, including Hadgraft Wilson Place (HWP). In accordance with City of Kelowna regulatory conditions, work on-site is subject to the city香蕉视频直播檚 approval and regulatory process prior to proceeding. This process requires geotechnical and structural engineering design to be peer-reviewed. The project team continues to remain in contact with both HWP, Pathways and the City of Kelowna regarding construction activities.香蕉视频直播�

During the time that residents were put up in hotels by Pathways, the Hadgraft Wilson Place community took another blow when the building's namesake and a former resident Jim Hadgraft died. 

Hadgraft, who lived with Down syndrome, is said to have died in hospital while awaiting surgery on a broken leg.

His sister, Sue Bauman, said the evacuation was difficult for Hadgraft. Her brother got confused and went back to the apartment building with his groceries. Police officers came and assisted Hadgraft in getting back to his hotel. A similar incident happened when Hadgraft was out walking and found himself lost. He asked a couple of strangers for help and they called Saebels using Hadgraft香蕉视频直播檚 phone.

香蕉视频直播淚 don香蕉视频直播檛 think this would have happened if he had been stable and in his own home,香蕉视频直播� Bauman said. 香蕉视频直播淎ccidents happen all the time, but I think that the chance of it wouldn香蕉视频直播檛 have been as strong. It was just too much.香蕉视频直播�

By the end of April, Hadgraft Wilson Place residents were put up in dorms at the Kelowna campus of Okanagan College. Residents were able to stay in the dorms until Aug. 15 at which point everyone had to find their own rentals. 

Hadgraft Wilson Place remains evacuated and unsafe for entry.