THUNDER BAY – A local couple says city crews broke a waterline in their home and won’t pay the estimated $7,000 bill to fix it.
Ivy and John Wassenaar were in their Ogden Street home more than a month ago when a neighbour across the street had frozen pipes. The Wassenaars say the city used the couple's shut-off valve in the effort to thaw the pipes.
"The second time they did it we heard a loud bang and the pipes rattled in our house," Ivy Wassenaar said.
A few hours later, Wassenaar said water started showing up on their sidewalk.
A city crew came, determined that it's the Wassenaar's problem and now the local couple are facing an estimated $7,000 bill to fix the broken waterline.
But the couple argues that it was the city's fault in the first place.
"The ground was frozen at the time. There's no way we could've broken the water line so why should we have to pay for it?" Wassenaar asked during a Thursday interview with tbnewswatch.com.
They've also been given a letter from the city saying their water will be shut-off Friday unless repairs are started.
"Our backs are against the wall," Wassenaar said in tears. "What are we supposed to do? This is very stressful for us."
Coun. Paul Pugh said he looked into the matter after the Wassenaars called him.
Based on the information given to him, Pugh said it's the Wassenaar's problem because the city doesn’t do repairs on private property. Pugh added that the information he received indicated that the city crews found the leak two metres into the property.
"If the city were to start doing repairs on private properties I don't know where it would end," Pugh said.
As for the couples' allegation, it's up to them to prove it.
"That's their claim but one can make any sort of claim. It's whether or not the claim can be established that matters," Pugh said. "People who do have expertise tell me that that's the situation. Unless I found out otherwise, that's where it's at."
