Nearly six months after residents were forced to evacuate a condo building in Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., it’s likely they won’t be able to return for at least another half year.

“It’s been a very long and difficult time for us,” said George Cook, president of the Riverview Estates Condo Board.

The 44-suite Riverview Estates complex was evacuated in August 2019 after being deemed structurally unsound by engineers from the City of Fort Saskatchewan.

“Those in the evacuated buildings are still paying their mortgages, their taxes, condo fees, as well as renting other places to live,” Cook said.

In September, residents were allowed back in — one at a time — to get their belongings.

Now, the owners will be faced with a series of options on how to move forward with repairs. The condo corporation has hired a consultant who has been working to determine how much the changes required will cost.

“There’s been a tremendous amount of engineering work and materials testing, and other efforts to try different solutions for this problem,” said Hugh Willis, the lawyer for the Riverview Estates Condominium Corporation.

“The intention right now is to present the owners with a scenario to repair.”

At this point, Willis said it’s unclear how much of the cost — which is expected to be in the millions — will be covered by insurance.

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