New developments in deadly Lions Bay landslide
Global News
Dave and Barb Enns were killed when a landslide swept over their home in Lions Bay on Dec. 14, 2024.
When the landslide swept down Lion’s Bay’s Battani Creek last month, the home of Dave and Barb Enns was directly in its path, and in the days after investigators confirmed their deaths.
It happened after a so-called bomb cyclone had swept the region.
“The landslide happened at the very instant that they had maximum gusts on Howe Sound,” explained SFU earth sciences professor emeritus John Clague.
While the cause of the landslide isn’t known, Global News has learned some new things about what was going on upslope from where the Enns lived.
If you follow Battani Creek upstream you’ll find a small concrete dam and reservoir that’s been built across the creek The landslide appears to have started just below that dam.
That area was part of a proposed development Called Lions Point Elite Homes, owned by IT entrepreneur Steve Vestergaard.
A brochure about the project has pictures of a reservoir it says he built there, and other documents show a history of compliance issues he had with Victoria about some of the work he did in the area.
Whether it’s a creek or a tiny brook, even on your property, if you alter a natural watercourse in B.C. you need a permit.
