Shifting ground: How permafrost thaw threatens homes in Canada’s North
Margaret and Edward Kelly’s home is coming apart at the seams.
The joints holding their walls, floors and ceilings together expand
and contract as the ground underneath moves, a few centimetres at a
time.
They built their family home in Fort Good Hope, on the banks of the
Mackenzie River in the Northwest Territories, 30 years ago. Over the
past decade, they’ve fought to keep the house together.
But every time they make a repair, another gap appears between the walls, or a section of the floor sinks.