Edmonton

Garage owner claims city should be on the hook for concrete damage

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City's use of brine has been controversial

Glenn Krause has filed a lawsuit against the City of Edmonton, arguing the use of calcium chloride to de-ice roads has cause damage to concrete pads in his garages. (Glenn Krause )

An Edmonton man wants the city to pay for damage he claims calcium chloride caused to the concrete in his garages.

Glenn Krause filed a civil claim in provincial court, arguing the city should pay him $50,000 for the damage to the floors in two heated garages at his home in southeast Edmonton.

Calcium chloride is a de-icing agent the city applied to roads twice last winter, according to a dispute note the city filed in response. None of the claims by either party have been proven in court.

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"The bonding agent in the concrete was broken down by the calcium chloride that the City of Edmonton was spreading on the streets of Edmonton," Krause wrote in his lawsuit filed Aug. 16.

A closer view of the damage Glenn Krause claims calcium chloride used to de-ice roads has caused to concrete pads in his garage. (Glenn Krause)

He alleges that city council and administration approved the use of the substance despite "dire warnings" it would cause damage.

A memo leaked to media earlier this year, written in June 2018 by engineers, suggested the city's calcium chloride brine damages roads 20 per cent more than salt alone.

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In an interview Wednesday, Krause said the damage is "severe" in the area where he parks, and that elsewhere the floor remains in perfect condition.

"The reason I blame it on the calcium chloride is there's an exact white outline," he said. "As the snow and ice would melt off of my vehicle in the evening, it would puddle. And you can see exactly where the puddles are, because the calcium chloride is still in the concrete even though I've swept and blown out my garage numerous times."

He alleges that the solution got stronger and stronger each day as water dripped off his car and reactivated residue of the calcium chloride.

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In his lawsuit, he said he received an estimate that it will cost between $25,000 and $30,000 to repair the concrete pads that were damaged. He also claimed it will cost between $20,000 and $25,000 to move and store classic vehicles he owns, and well as all the other equipment, shelving and furniture in his garages.

In a dispute note filed as a response, the city denied all of Krause's allegations that calcium chloride caused any damage.

"Further, if the plaintiff's property was damaged, which is not admitted but expressly denied, then the damage was exacerbated by the plaintiff's failure to mitigate his damages," the city wrote, arguing that Krause failed to clean and maintain his floors upon first noticing the damage.

In an emailed statement on Wednesday, a city spokesperson said the city recently commissioned numerous studies to assess the impact of brine.

"The study pertaining to concrete indicated that there is little to no significant impact of brine on residential or roadside concrete," the statement read.

The city declined to provide further comment about the case because it is a legal matter.

Debate deferred

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Debate on the city's use of calcium chloride continued at city hall Wednesday with no clear resolution.

Coun. Sarah Hamilton said she wants more data on the impact of the agent and what would happen if the city stopped using it.

"While we could remove the calcium chloride tool from the tool box, I don't know if it addresses all the concerns we've heard."

Council's community and public services committee on Wednesday hears from speakers concerned about the use of calcium chloride to clear winter streets. (Trevor Wilson/CBC)

Hamilton also acknowledged the negative attention the program has been getting.

"What we continue to hear is there is a trust issue," she said. "We have to, through our questioning of administration, figure out how we regain the trust of the public in our entire snow and ice policy, not just the use of calcium chloride."

Council's community and public services committee deferred the further discussion to the Sept. 24 council meeting.