A Blast from a Close Neighbour

The developer’s proposal for the property envisions an enormous underground parking structure that will extend well beyond the building’s above-ground dimensions and very to neighbouring property lines, including ours. We, and many other neighbours to the property, are very concerned about the consequences of the blasting that will be required to create this chasm in solid granite. Blasting almost lot-line to lot-line will put us well within the blasting danger zone. Beyond the obvious fact that ~6 months of blasting will be extremely invasive and disruptive the longer term real risk to our health and property is more compelling. Health: Rock blasting is known to expel highly noxious gases such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and possibly radon and hazardous particulate matter (e.g.: crystalline silica) that can linger on surrounding property and foliage until remediated. These materials can cause serious and even life threatening illness. Perhaps a pre and post-blasting environmental study of this aspect by a university or provincial Ministry is warranted. We note that the BC Workers Compensation Act requires that workers vacate a ‘blasting area’ that extends 50 metres in all directions during blasting. In urban settings 50 metres envelopes many homes, families and streets. Property: We expect that a developer, builder and their blasting company will have insurance to address any damage caused. All insurance policies have conditions and limitations. This leaves us at the mercy of the insurance company’s timeline and quality of repair. There are many horror stories of homeowners incurring damage during blasting and the extreme time, effort and expense needed to obtain what is ultimately unsatisfactory remediation. Damage due to blasting can be discovered several years after the blasting is finished. This process can be improved upon by the Village, on behalf of its residents, by having recourse to an independent third party in the form of a substantial standby letter of credit or bond to be in place for an extended period of time. Aside from individual residents and their property there is also the matter of shared infrastructure such as water, drainage and gas lines. It is our understanding that Oak Bay is in the process of updating its urban blasting policy. We respectfully ask that any such update prioritize the interests of residents through rigorous blast permitting, municipal oversight of the project and effective remedies for residents if they or their property are harmed. We further ask that the update to the Village blasting policy be enacted before any more urban blasting takes place in Oak Bay. There is plenty of best practices material and expert opinion available from independent sources such as governments, health agencies and scientific bodies to inform an urban blasting policy that respects all stakeholders, especially the community. We don’t recommend that we rely solely on the opinion of parties that have a commercial interest in development.