Third Time Wrong On Keith Street

By Robert Thomas

It’s a story we brought to you in August 2022 about sewer service connection problems on Keith Street.

And this time it’s a case of deja thrice that is not only frustrating for property owners but expensive.

Service connections specifically the sewer connection line where it joins into the City owned main sewer line has had to be repaired for the third time on Keith Street.

The connection to the main sewer line has failed for yet a third resident with the City apparently leaving the property owner to figure out how to pay for it.

This despite property owners being signed up for new sewer lines by a contractor working under auspices of the cast iron water main replacement program.

The cast iron water main replacement program is a 20 year program to replace outdated and failing cast iron water mains.

The section of Keith Street was completed as part of that program in 2017.

ANOTHER HOLE, THE THIRD TO REPAIR PROBLEMS RESULTING FROM WORK AS PART OF THE CAST IRON WATER MAIN REPLACEMENT PROGRAM, APPEARED THIS PAST WEEK ON KEITH CRESCENT - MJ INDEPENDENT PHOTO

It’s something that angered Keith Street resident Aaron McGillivary when he found out the contract he thought he had signed with the City was in fact a contract with a subcontractor for C Ungar Construction from Theodore, Saskatchewan.

McGillvary found out the only contract he had with the City was one to finance the initial $10,500 replacement.

After he found out he was financially on the hook for the repairs and the City had washed its hands of any financial responsibility for the repairs McGillvary issued a warning to residents.

“I think that everyone should get their sewer lines scoped,” he said in August 2022, adding when asked to clarify his statement “anybody on Keith Street needs to be. And anybody that had work done by Ungar should. And make sure you have the sewer line coverage on your insurance. Even though it is brand new you can still get dinged,” McGillvary said, adding “because in this situation my pipe didn’t break but it was all full of roots in the sewer main.”

A request for comment from the City of Moose Jaw was not responded to by the story deadline.