A property developer working in downtown Victoria is blaming a recent “soil slump” at its construction site on the wetter-than-average spring B.C. has experienced this year.

Chard Development Ltd. said in a statement Wednesday that it first became aware of the slide in the northwest corner of its excavation site near the corner of Cook and Johnson streets on Sunday, June 12.

“Crews were called to (the) site immediately to assess the situation and begin work to stabilize,” the company said. “No structural damage was incurred to neighbouring properties and the site has since been stabilized.”

A spokesperson for WorkSafeBC confirmed to CTV News in an email that its officers had attended the site and issued a stop-work order on the excavation.

Neighbouring business Gemi Hair shared photos of the slide on its Facebook page, saying WorkSafeBC had prohibited its employees from entering the building due to the construction site collapse. 

The salon said it hopes to reopen on Monday, June 20.

Chard said its excavation at the site “has followed the stringent guidelines of certified geotechnical engineers,” and said it is not concerned about any additional slumps occurring.“As always, our priority was and continues to be the safety of those on and around the site,” said Byron Chard, the company’s president and CEO, in the statement.

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