Photo by Vince Fedoroff
MORE SLIDES – There were at least two more landslides over the weekend. Top: the Jeckell Street event is seen Saturday, where it covered part of Sixth Avenue. Seen below is the one between Jarvis and Wood streets.
Cliffs’ instability expected to last well into June
There have been two more mudslides on the escarpment that have resulted in more street closures, though there were no injuries.
There have been two more mudslides on the escarpment that have resulted in more street closures, though there were no injuries.
The city has placed more fencing along the bottom of the escarpment, from Jeckell Street to Hanson, and at the end of Wood, Jarvis, Strickland and Alexander streets.
While the Black Street stairs remain open, the walking trail beside the stairs is fenced off. The dog park at the end of Main Street is also closed.
The two new slides came down over the weekend. One occurred at the end of Jeckell and the other between Wood and Jarvis streets.
City staff knocked on residents’ doors and distributed flyers to home owners at the bottom of the escarpment advising them how to be prepared should they be forced to leave their dwellings.
Robert Service Way has been cleared of the mudslide, but the road remains closed because of the uncertainty of the escarpment’s stability.
Mayor Laura Cabott was not available to comment on the weekend slides – which occurred exactly a month after the Robert Service Way event.
A media briefing was scheduled for 2 p.m. today.
Geologist Jeff Bond with the Yukon Geological Survey told the Star this morning the escarpment is likely to remain unstable well into June, until it dries out.
The past winter’s excessive snowfall has saturated the ground, which is causing the instability leading to the mudslides, he said.
Bond said the snow melt is flowing along the contact between the sand and silt, so you have this mush coming out onto the slope surface.
It will take a while yet for the drainage to slow down, he said.
The city issued a slide update Sunday that says public safety is a top priority, so the city has expanded the number of fenced perimeters at the base of the escarpment as a safety measure.
The city is also bringing in additional experts to further assess the situation.
The public is instructed to continue avoiding the top and base of the escarpment, and to stay out of closed areas.
Additional slides are possible; however, there is still no risk to the public and most private properties at this time, officials indicated.
The city and its geotechnical engineers continue to actively monitor the entire escarpment and respond to events of sliding.
If you witness a slide, please report it to the city’s trouble line at 667-2111. In the event of an emergency, please call 911.
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Comments (25)
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Mitch on Jun 6, 2022 at 1:58 pm
@Not Political Science - my assertion of fascim is based on the widely circulated statements by both parties in regards to the spander of Canadians, if that clears it up for you.
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Mitch on Jun 6, 2022 at 1:55 pm
@ Not Political Science - Is one more acceptable than the other in your mind?
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Sheeple Kind… We like to say, Sheeple Kind! on Jun 6, 2022 at 7:13 am
Again, in response to Basic Political Science on Jun 3, 2022 at 9:01 pm:
I am absolutely appalled by the carelessness with which “we” have treated our democracy. It has become, under Liberal rule, very much a “demon-ocracy, wherein “we” become the worst version of ourselves.
How do right (correct) thinking people live with themselves? My guess is a whole lot of moral diffusion, some wilful ignorance, and a dash of magical thinking - Hence, the memes about unicorns farting rainbows…
It is political science truism that Liberalism and Fascism are flip sides of the same coin, mirror images of one another…
A Totalitarian Society
The most distinguishing feature of a totalitarian society or a totalitarian ideology is that the power structure isn’t merely interested in what an individual says or how he acts but also how people think. It is not enough to merely say or act in a certain way, a person must also believe the ideology completely. Otherwise, the person can be accused of a ‘thoughtcrime’ and persecuted accordingly.
In George Orwell’s 1984, ‘thoughtcrime’ describes a person’s politically unorthodox thoughts, such as unspoken beliefs and doubts that contradict the dominant political ideology. We see a similar pattern playing out in the liberal world. Merely accusations and allegations combined with certain ‘suspicious’ behaviour is enough reason to completely destroy an individual’s life.
For instance, a person does not have to be a ‘homophobe’ or ‘misogynist’ in order to have his life completely destroyed and ruined, mere accusations are enough. Furthermore, anyone who does not endorse the most extreme positions of the Liberal world is branded ‘homophobe’, ‘misogynist’, ‘regressive’ or whatever the latest buzzword maybe and then it is demanded that his professional career be destroyed.
This Liberalism… There is no such nicety as an agreement to disagree. I am absolutely frightened by the Collective psychological myopias. It is our National disgrace, it is our Western ideologicaldelusion, that we are somehow better for our democracy… And yet most of us have no damn clue… And they should be held in contempt for their inhumanity - FFS!
WAKE UP!!!!!
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Sheeple Kind… We like to say, Sheeple Kind! on Jun 5, 2022 at 9:35 am
In conversation with Basic Political Science on Jun 3, 2022 at 9:01 pm:
Wow! Do you ever wonder why the burger you get served looks very little like the “picture” you got sold?
Geesus H. Monte Cristo - Man/Woman/ They!!!! The Liberalism of today looks nothing like the Liberalism it has reported itself to be. For example, Liberalism use to mean a tendency to smaller government and less interference from the state into the lives of the people…
Pierre E. Trudeau - Canada’s PET project introduced the single most destructive and divisive piece of legislation the world has ever known - The Canadian Constitution.
While PET was making statements about the government staying out of the bedrooms of the nation he was instrumental in providing the keys to the government to enter into the homes of the nation.
This instrument now used by the current Trudeau has provided the rationale to not only enter into the bedrooms of the nation but it has been used to justify entry into the bank accounts of the nation as well through the lens of equality/equity… Hence, assertions that small business owners are tax cheats, construction workers are misogynists, white people are privileged etc. Everyone must be vaxxed… Against their will for the good of society…
The Liberals are very much asserting a corporatist structure as the organizing principle of society. This is very much fascistic. This goes hand in hand with Communism, Socialism, and Capitalism.
Fascism can be friendly and it can be straight up in your face - It is a means to an end that ultimately allows change by force of will against the will of the people… And if you cannot or will not see this you are willingly complicit in humanities descent into the “Madness of Crowds”.
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The Other Dave on Jun 4, 2022 at 7:13 am
Hey Yukoner 32 are you saying the Robert Service slide shouldn’t have been cleared sooner because a month later other slides came down elsewhere? That’s quite the logic you’re using there. By your reasoning everything else should be stopped ‘just in case’ and maybe we should all walk around in layers of bubble wrap.
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Yukoner ‘71 on Jun 4, 2022 at 4:14 am
To those who are crowing told you so, there is still no reason why Robert Service way was not cleared and back in use within a few days instead of the weeks of unnecessary hand wringing and delay the city has demonstrated. It’s still a complete disgrace that it’s been closed so long due to the minor slide that happened. If it was a highway linking Yukon communities that delay would have never been tolerated and it would have been opened as fast as the equipment could have been put into action.
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Basic Political Science on Jun 3, 2022 at 9:01 pm
@Mitch If the NDP and Liberals are fascists, they can't be communists. And while the Liberals are centrists, the NDP I would say are close to communists as opposed to fascists.
So I'm curious as to how you think the NDP let alone the Liberals could be considered fascists instead of communists?
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Patricia O'Brien on Jun 3, 2022 at 6:10 am
Back in the early '80s I lived in a squatter's cabin under the clay cliffs, near Hawkins street. At the time I attended Yukon College (two adjoining trailers on Nisutlin Drive in Riverdale) and did a slide show for one of my classes on the clay cliffs. I had slides of buried cars with just the top of the cab visible. Another slide showed the back wall of my cabin buried in clay, the back "door" bowing inwards and buried three feet up with clay. There was loads of evidence of the clay slowly sliding downwards every spring. Given that we have had two years with heavy rains and unusually heavy snowfall, I am not surprised to see the downward slides have speeded up. A lot.
If this heavy precipitation happens again this summer without some remediation work being done then these cliffs, unstable for 40+ years that I know of, can be expected to respond to gravity big time. If you fail to prepare; prepare to fail.
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Mitch Holder on Jun 1, 2022 at 4:44 pm
@ Bonanza Joe - that would be the Liberal/NDP fascist super friends that down voted you, all thumbs, no brains or balls to express any axiom worth consideration. And this whole country knows it. Say something, useless passive progressive clowns, you are the ones always complaining about not being included. This is your initiation, first, last and ONLY.
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Mitch Holder on Jun 1, 2022 at 4:39 pm
@ Anonymous... slow clap. We all need more puns in these dark days.
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Anonymous on Jun 1, 2022 at 1:51 am
@Rod
Well apparently you're just here to sling mud, but I'll let it slide.
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bonanzajoe on May 31, 2022 at 8:47 pm
So, just out of curiosity, who were the 10 knobs who down thumbed my comment? Was it because I invoked the name of God? Come on whoever, would you rather that children were playing on the swings at the time of the slide? At least you can thank your own god no children were hurt.
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Just Tired on May 31, 2022 at 6:23 pm
Hey Roy. I suspect you are not a long time Yukoner, but many in the comments are. I lived in downtown Whitehorse for many years & I know what others are saying is "common". Yes, I had a school mate who was buried in a mudslide in the 70's. Long, long, long before climate change became a buzz word. Me as a child, would climb the clay cliffs at the end of Hawkins Street and had the police called on us because we were forbidden to climb the cliffs. As kids, we did it anyway. We were kids....enjoying outdoors, adventuring, but yet, we did see slides on our walks up in the clay cliffs. Again, I will remind you...back then, "Climate Change" was not even in the conversation. So do not think, us as long time Yukoners, don't know what we are talking about or experience, because, hold your breath, yes we do. Been there, done that!
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Mitch Holder on May 31, 2022 at 3:47 pm
@ Roy - Who is wrong? Sure, more slides. Did you go look at them? They are very manageable. Also, erosion is a natural process, not necessarily independent of climate change, but not evidently tied to it in this situation either. And if anything, this is an issue of long accumulating neglect, the same as any retaining wall left unmaintained, eventually parts will sag. Kind of like your edgy argument attempt.
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Al on May 31, 2022 at 2:57 pm
The main issue many folks are targeting is the fact that the bluffs have been identified as a potential disaster waiting to happen for at least the past 60+ years. There have been studies (many cited verbatim in various articles on this issue) that reflect the instability. Yet "every" successive council did absolutely nothing to mitigate, or to start the process of making the bluffs safe. No-one, including this council lifted a finger, instead all of them simply passed the buck. This council acted because they "had to" - it is called crisis management. When you know something and choose to do nothing then the results of failure land on our lap. Now imagine if some one had been killed. Let me tell you the litigation that the City would have faced would have been awesome - why - because they knew of the potential consequences.
As to the assertions made by some that the no-it-all no nothing - well I would challenge that precept by adding that at least they articulated a proposal (wild or otherwise) that was at least more than the caretakers of this issue did over the past 60 years.
There is no praise for council on this issue. If their hand had not been forced nothing being done, would be the order of the day.
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Roy on May 31, 2022 at 12:05 pm
Wait - so all the sourdough soil experts on here who were pulling their few remaining hairs out screaming “just give me some equipment and I’ll open that road up and we can quit worrying’ bout it jeez! No need for study or dem fancy experts!” we’re wrong and this I actually is a major issue?
Guess we’ll see them posting in here admitting they were wrong yeah?
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bonanzajoe on May 31, 2022 at 11:40 am
Sure came awful close to the children's play ground. Only a few feet that I saw. Thank God, it didn't happen when children were there.
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Mitch Holder on May 31, 2022 at 10:38 am
Government's inability extended until federal election this fall. Then it is done, for a long, long time.
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Matthew on May 31, 2022 at 6:10 am
" Additional slides are possible; however, there is still no risk to the public and most private properties at this time, officials indicated." All talk no action, they claim there is NO RISK..
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Matthew on May 31, 2022 at 6:09 am
Open it up, it's getting pathetic! No one is scared, if they are, they'll use 2 mile..
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George moss on May 30, 2022 at 9:42 pm
Just get woodcutter to do an assessment he thinks he’s a specialist at everything. lol
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Yukoner32 on May 30, 2022 at 9:19 pm
Where are all the armchair experts on this comment board telling the City to just "get er done" just grow a set and clear the road! etc., etc.
Maybe you guys want to put your money where your mouth is now. Go jump into a slow moving dozer and clear the area that you have been whining about. There have only been 3 slides in the area now, don't worry about being buried alive in an instant, I'm sure it won't happen to you.
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Rod on May 30, 2022 at 5:49 pm
I can’t wait to read all the “experts” comments!
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Wilf on May 30, 2022 at 5:39 pm
Obviously this shows why the batteries should not go along there. Imagine batteries strewn amongst the mud and debris along the slide.
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Jim on May 30, 2022 at 5:14 pm
Better tear the cliffs down so it’s safe