Homeowner wants City of P.A. to pay for damages after branch smashes window

“Luckily no one was hurt so everyone is fine,” he explained adding his wife was in the kitchen and ran to see what happened after she heard a ‘boom’ sound.

He said their living room is directly next to the window and if anyone was watching TV they could have been potentially hurt. After the incident there was glass all over the family’s living room. The couple has two children, a seven-year-old and a three-year-old.

He claims some time last year he got a quote to cut down the tree but was told he needed to check with the City of P.A. before proceeding. He also claims after checking with them, the city sent people to his house last year and told him they couldn’t cut it down because it was a city owned tree. They proceeded to cut off a few branches and left the tree standing.

“And today you see what happened,” Monkinda said.

He is now in the process of filing a claim. He explained he has received a quote to remove the branch and take the tree down which would be $3,000 plus tax. The cost of the damage to the roof and the window are unknown at the time of publishing.

A tree branch broke off and smashed a front window of a home after strong winds Friday morning. (Nigel Maxwell/paNOW staff)

City’s response

Parks manager with the City of Prince Albert Tim Yeaman explained he did chat with the owner of the home and said the tree is on private property but if an incident does happen on a residential property and the homeowner does feel the tree is city owned, it’s their right to file a claim with the city.

They will go through the investigative process, and he said it’s a thorough procedure.

“When I did talk with the gentleman, I did give him all the information and let him know how all of that would play out. So, we’ll follow that process and he’s certainly welcome to do that,” he said. “We’ll make sure we get all of the facts as well. I have no problem going back and looking at past work orders or calls in for service from this gentleman.”

He’s not sure what the calls for service were that were requested in 2020, nor what the city’s response would have been during that time. To speak properly to Monkinda’s concerns on the subject, they will need to investigate and know what the facts are.

They will then help navigate whatever needs to be done and make sure the proper response and outcome are provided.

“I did have a pleasant conversation with him today and he’s got all that information. I think he’s proceeding with going through the claims process,” he said. “And once that claims process has started then we’ll get that paperwork up here in community services, we’ll complete the investigative report and then it all goes to insurance and insurance will look at both sides of everything and they’ll make the final decision on what that outcome is.”

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Ian.Gustafson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @IanGustafson12

by Ian Gustafson

Homeowner wants City of P.A. to pay for damages after branch smashes window

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