EDMONTON -- A west Edmonton resident wants the city to make changes to its permit process so others like herself aren’t stranded after a company makes installations on their property.
With a promise from Telus that crews would leave her yard in Ormbsy as they found it, Dee Coorey agreed to the company installing fibre optic lines last September.
When they finished the next month, her lawn was not seeded again.
The company told her it can take two weeks to germinate, and that crews would be back in the spring.
But she says it took several emails until a third-party company arrived to do the work on Wednesday – and even then, couldn’t fully deliver.
"[The third-party company] indicated that they’re only required to seed. Grade and seed. They do not have a water truck, they’re not going to water. They’re short staffed," she told CTV News Edmonton.
The city told the third-party company was only required to seed it, but not maintain it.
"So that means I would have to water, I would have to do all of that stuff. It’s my responsibility," Coorey recalled.
"I said, I’m sorry, I’m not going to incur those costs right now. That’s an additional unnecessary thing that I don’t need at this time."
According to a city spokesperson, it works with Telus according to the City of Edmonton's Design and Construction Standards.
"These standards also protect homeowners from any unintended impacts that would compromise livability or property values. Contractors are accountable to follow the standards, and the City can step in, resolve any issues, and charge costs incurred back to the contractor," a statement reads, adding the city inspects work at the site or at the request of property owners.
Telus was on site Thursday morning to follow up with Coorey.
"Our teams are currently in the process of applying additional topsoil and grass seed, which will be done today, and will follow up with another round of hydroseeding tomorrow," the company told CTV News Edmonton.
"We assured residents that we would regularly return to confirm the affected areas restore properly, and will continue to work with them to ensure that their property, and the area in front of their property within the utility right-of-way, is restored to their satisfaction."
However, several neighbours complained to the city as well.
"Probably opened up their eyes a bit that this is a little bit more serious than just one person complaining."
Coorey wants to see permit conditions made clearer.
"I expect it to be in similar condition and the city says, well, similar means just seeding. No, I had a lawn there," she replied.
"Property owners deserve a little more respect."
She says she's happy after the most recent conversations with Telus, even after months of waiting.
"It was worth it because it was just not me it actually impacted, helped my neighbours as well."
Telus said it has a watering program and will return to the home to finish the job. The total time from starting construction to final remediation can range from 12 to 16 weeks.
Projects – like the one in Ormsby – may be paused over the winter when remediation work can continue.
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Amanda Anderson
