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The territorial government has issued a warning to Fort Smith residents over “large cracks” along a local trail.
On Monday morning, the territory’s Department of Lands tweeted: “Large cracks have shown up on a frequently used trail between the boat launch and the cemetery … be cautious.”
The department say cracks are indicative of slumping, and requested that the community report any additional cracks to its South Slave office at LandsSouthSlave@gov.nt.ca or (867) 872-2558 ext 28.
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Fort Smith is no stranger to landslides: this past summer, the town held a 50th-anniversary commemoration for a 1968 landslide which killed one person when the town’s former “Indian Village” collapsed into the Slave River.
Meanwhile, the Town of Fort Smith has successfully applied for federal climate change funding to come up with a design and construction plan to stabilize the bank.
The request for proposals closes on November 30, and the Town hopes to have a plan back from the successful applicant by the end of March.
After that, the municipality will need to find additional funding to finance the project.
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Town officials say a section of riverbank remediated following the ’68 slide is stable, but the riverbank on either side of the remediated section is at risk.
Proposed slope stabilization treatment areas along the Slave River are outlined in red in this Town of Fort Smith graphic. Orange text added by Cabin Radio.
“[The slope] is definitely moving and it’s something we need to ensure is resolved,” said Mayor Lynn Napier-Buckley in August.
In June, another section of the riverbank just past the Pelican Rapids Golf & Country Club collapsed, taking with it the “Truicide” ski hill.
