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By Bob Mackin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Lawsuit

Floods from broken watermain lead to lawsuit against city hall

May 24, 2025 | 2:00 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — A commercial property owner and its steel fabrication and manufacturing tenant are suing City of Prince George in BC Supreme Court for two incidents of flood damage.

In an April 22-filed notice of civil claim, 684755 B.C. Ltd. and C.F.I. Steel Ltd. are seeking damages for nuisance, trespass, negligence and gross negligence after floods on Oct. 23, 2024 and March 3, 2025. The lawsuit said the floods were caused by ruptures of a 300 millimetre asbestos cement pipe near 401 First Avenue, between Lower Patricia Boulevard and Kingston Street.

The rupture last October “caused water and mud to enter structures, covered the ground and floor areas and caused immediate and extensive damage” to the parking lot, shop area and crawl space. It also contaminated the property with asbestos.

“The 2024 flood was a direct result of the city’s failure to properly maintain and upkeep the water system. In particular, the watermain burst due to deterioration and/or other preventable causes that the city knew or ought to have known about but failed to address,” states the lawsuit.

“The 2025 flood occurred despite the city’s knowledge of the prior 2024 flood and was caused by the city’s negligence in failing to properly rectify the underlying issues after the 2024 flood.”

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The lawsuit said the floods damaged property, caused the loss of equipment and inventory, and interrupted business operations. Some of the items repaired after the October flood were damaged in the March flood.

The lawsuit does not quantify the damages. Full particulars of the losses from both floods would be provided once determined.

None of the allegations has been tested in court and the city has yet to file a defence statement.

C.F.I. Steel has supplied structural steel and other metals for infrastructure projects, such as Prince George International Airport, Prince George Wastewater Treatment Plant and upgrades to the Gibraltar Mine near Williams Lake.