Clearing up fallen debris and trees is not unfamiliar work to City of Calgary urban foresters, but the park they’re doing it at is. Nearly 50 arborists and road workers from Calgary travelled up Highway 2 this week to lend a hand cleaning up Edmonton’s streets after thunder storms ripped through city canopies. Work to feed broken branches from Borden Park into a chipper on Friday afternoon was just the beginning for both city’s workers. Countless trees and branches that didn’t hit parked cars were still cluttering streets and parks across Edmonton. And officials think they may need the extra help for longer than originally anticipated. Back-to-back storms battered the city in recent weeks, closing some public spaces and facilities for damaged infrastructure and flooding. Crews were originally slated to help for about a week, but deputy city manager Craig McKeown says they may make it an even 10 days. “We’re going to convert them to Oilers fans by the time they leave,” McKeown joked with reporters on Friday. “In all seriousness, we can’t thank Calgary enough for their help.” McKeown says the first priority is to ensure the safety of public infrastructure. The record rainfall – a combined 536 millimetres in June and July and more than three-and-a-half times the average rain normally seen year at the same – means trees are more likely to topple on saturated soil. Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas says there is a mutual aid agreement and Edmonton would reimburse the other city. “That said, Edmonton has always had our back, and we have theirs. It’s what we do in Alberta, it’s what we do in Canada,” he said in a video posted to social media earlier this week. While Edmonton and Calgary crews field thousands of cleanup requests throughout the capital city, McKeown says to inspect your own property to make sure everything is still in shape. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Jeremy Thompson
