Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he spoke to Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek Sunday night about the city’s state of emergency.
Gondek said she signed the paperwork to declare an emergency on Saturday morning following the investigation of a “catastrophic” water main break first discovered June 5, which uncovered five more areas in need of repairs. The water line repairs mean Calgarians will have to continue to limit their water use for an additional three to five weeks.
She said the declaration grants the city powers it ordinarily wouldn’t have, such as allowing city workers to enter private property to expedite repairs.
In a message on social media, Trudeau thanked “everyone who’s working around the clock to get this fixed, and to the people who are stepping up in their community to conserve water and help their friends and neighbours pull through this tough time.”
Monday was Day 12 of Calgary’s water supply crisis.
Calgary officials will be providing an update on the critical water main break and water usage Monday at 2 p.m.
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Calgary Stampede CEO Joel Cowley and Tourism Calgary president and CEO Alisha Reynolds are set to join Gondek, City of Calgary infrastructure manager Michael Thompson and Calgary Emergency Management Agency acting chief Coby Duerr.
On the weekend, the president of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce raised concerns about how the city’s water crisis may impact the Calgary Stampede.
Billed as the “Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth,” thousands of visitors and many extra animals are expected to show up for the Calgary Stampede from July 5 to 14.
In a statement from Friday, the Calgary Stampede said it will continue to work with the city and Emergency Management Agency as the situation evolves.
Jennifer Andrews, the president of YYC Food Trucks, said they are operating as normal and gearing up for one of their busiest times of year.
“Stampede is a huge week for YYC Food Trucks. We’re booked out constantly from morning right until night. I think it’s the life blood of the city.”
She said not only is it an important time economically; it’s also important emotionally for the city.
“It’s a gigantic 10 days.”
Andrews said the restrictions have businesses concerned.
“I think in general people get really scared. We’ve had enough shutdowns, and I think people just hear ‘shut down,’ and they think: ‘We’re about to get closed.’”
Dr. Michael Yoon is a chiropractor who owns Century Wellness. He said fencing went up around his business on Sunday.
“The infrastructure, trying to repair this thing, I understand. But the traffic coming into our facility and our clinic is very, very tough, quite difficult. … People are delayed and they’re frustrated and they’re just wondering when this is going to be done.”
Yoon was surprised when the city announced it could be an additional three to five weeks.
“That’s going to cause a huge amount of problems,” he said. “Hopefully they can speed it up.
“As a business owner and as a clinician, it’s very difficult to run a proper clinic when things are functioning at a very slow pace.”
Yoon said there has been nearly zero communication from the city. He said his area business association sent an email to business owners about the construction.
“Like anything else, good communication is fundamental,” he said. “We can at least tell our customers and patients this is what’s happening.”
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