A business owner is Kelowna, B.C., is raising concerns about the construction of the nearby UBC Okanagan tower.
Dustyn Baulkham, the founder of Rebellious Unicorns, an events, merchandise and production company, told Global News he has to find a temporary space as excavation work from the 68-unit complex on Bertram Street is impacting the structure of the building that houses his workspace.
Baulkham uses the Colab building, a co-working space. That building, he says, is “destroyed” due to the construction going on close-by. He also said that since the building had to temporarily close, he can’t go in to retrieve his equipment.
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“I have over $20,000 in equipment that is sitting in the building that has no heat and is exposed to the elements,” Baulkham said.
“I have no idea if/when I will ever get them back. I also don’t know if they will be usable.”
Baulkham said Rebellious Unicorns is losing $10,000 per month in lost productivity by having to constantly find temporary space for producing content. Construction has also delayed a number of shows Rebellious Unicorns has been working on.
The Kelowna Legion also had to temporarily close its doors for the same reason.
The legion, which is on Bertram Street, has sustained some damage because of the work.
UBC Okanagan is taking some responsibility for the damage. In October, it released a statement saying, “given the scale and depth of the project, ground settling was always anticipated.”
It aso said it is working with neighbours to assess and monitor the impact of construction, adding that this includes the use of advanced ground-penetrating radar to help identify any changes below ground that could affect the stability of the surrounding buildings.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
