City turns to province to help riverbank residents

For more than a year, the slope along Saskatchewan Crescent near 11th Street has been shifting.

The majority of the damage so far has affected landscaping.

Now, the city is looking to get help for the people living above and belowthe danger zoneunder the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program (PDAP).

Charlie Clark, Saskatoon city councillor for Ward 6, said residents are in need of some support.

"We want to help the residents along 11th Street in any way we can," Clark said. "This is a program that exists under the province when there has been a disaster, as they call it, to apply and get some coverage for things that aren't covered otherwise by insurance."

At this time, it's unclear whether residents will qualify for assistance under PDAP. While the city says residents may not qualify for help. it'll continue to push its case.

"I think we've got a pretty strong case," Clark said, "We've had unprecedented amounts of rainfall that's affected the water table, so my hope is that they look on it favourably and recognize that there is an opportunity here to provide some assistance to these residents."

According to the city, the province responded to informal inquiries saying neither the city nor individual residents would qualify. In a letter to the city, the province said it believes the slumping has been going on since 1999.