Pothole damage claims against Saskatoon city hall skyrocket

Michaela Melnychuk feared the worst when the alarm went off in her SUV as she drove to pick up pizza on a Friday afternoon in March.

She had just driven over what she thought was a puddle after a big thaw, a notion she now derides as a "rookie mistake in Saskatchewan in spring."

A hidden pothole destroyed her right front tire. Melnychuk's mind flashed back a decade to the last time she hit a pothole in Moose Jaw and her power steering line was severed.

This time, it cost Melnychuk $500 to replace the tire. She filed a claim with the city on March 25, but she's still waiting to hear back as June begins.

"Frustrated," Melnychuk said of the claim process and the wait. "For a lot of people, $500 is an entire month's worth of groceries right now. Like, I'm grateful I had the space on the credit card, but that's still $500."

The portal on the city's website that allows people to file claims against the city says processing "generally" takes six to eight weeks. People must file claims within 30 days of the incident and are asked to include evidence like photos and invoices.

The city has already received more than twice as many claims related to pothole damage this year, 328, than all of last year, 137.

Those numbers appear to reflect the overall situation, with more than twice as many potholes reported to the city, 4,000 so far, than last year.

In 2023, city hall processed just 83 pothole related claims, but that more than tripled to 319 the following year.

After her pothole incident on March 20, Melnychuk tried to file a claim on the city's website. She said the city requires potential claimants to first contact their insurer.

"So I couldn't even submit the claim on the same day that I hit the pothole because I had to get SGI involved," Melnychuk said. "My least favourite thing in the world to do is contact SGI."

Melnychuk said SGI told her it would not cover the tire since no damage to the vehicle was sustained and, regardless, her deductible at $750 exceeded the cost of the tire. But she paid another $80 to have the vehicle inspected.

Melnychuk's father helped her change the tire, so she avoided the extra cost of a tow truck.

Now, more than two months after she feels she followed all the rules and submitted all the proper documentation, including photos of the pothole and the damaged tire, Melnychuk is still waiting to hear back.

She called the city on the eight-week anniversary of the day the claim was filed, but is still waiting on a resolution. She was told her claim had not yet been opened, but that she would be notified when it is.

Melnychuk said she understands the city is dealing with a lot of potholes and claims this year, but she still wonders why it would take so long.

She's confident the pothole had been reported to the city based on conversations with people she spoke with after the collision and a Facebook group for the area that had been documenting potholes reported to the city.

Melnychuk said claims like hers come down to whether or not the city had been aware of the pothole prior to the damage.

The city's online report-a-pothole map shows eight repaired potholes in the area where Melnychuk's tire sustained damage, on Junor Avenue just south of McClocklin Road. Melnychuk showed CBC where the pothole she hit has since been patched.

"So what's taking so long?" Melnychuk wondered. "It shouldn't take this much work."

The City of Saskatoon declined to comment on the process or the success rate of claims. If people are dissatisfied with the city's decision on a claim, they have a year to file a lawsuit.

City solicitor Cindy Yelland said in an emailed statement the response time is slower this year due to the higher number of claims, but most claims are still processed within the eight-week window.

SGI does not track pothole specific claims, but classifies such collisions under "roadbed" claims, which can include icy roads and other factors.

In Saskatoon last year, 1,840 roadbed claims were recorded, according to SGI, well above the five-year average of 1,369. That same trend was reflected provincially, with 7,180 roadbed collisions last year, compared to the five-year Saskatchewan average of 5,999.