Construction site retaining wall collapses in Burnaby

A construction site retaining wall in Burnaby, B.C., collapsed in close proximity to a child-care facility.

A retaining wall at a construction site in Burnaby, B.C.’s Brentwood neighbourhood collapsed on Monday.

In an email to CTV News, WorkSafeBC confirms that no workers were at the Lougheed Highway site at the time of the collapse, so no injuries were reported.

An emailed statement from the City of Burnaby explains that the collapse “involved a partial failure of a shotcrete shoring wall along a portion of the site.”

WorkSafeBC says a “stop-work order” was issued on the impacted section of the jobsite until it’s safe enough for crews to resume, adding that its own engineers are “reviewing the incident with the site personnel.”

Photos from the scene show an excavator parked next to the collapsed debris. The construction site wall that collapsed runs alongside a commercial building, which houses a child-care facility and its playground, among other businesses and storefronts.

The City of Burnaby says the building “remains stable and safe for occupancy, with only exterior access affected.” Municipal officials add that construction continues outside of the impacted area, which remains secured by WorkSafeBC.

“The city, in its regulatory role, is monitoring the situation closely through its planning, building, and engineering teams,” a city spokesperson said in a statement to CTV News.

This site houses the Brentwood Block project from developer Grosvenor, which is planned to feature six new towers when completed, according to the developer.