Three months after the landslide, L'Ascension still waits to fill its sinkhole

Heavy rain split the village's main street on Aug 3, and the hole now cuts the village in two. Mayor Jacques Allard says the works could start within days once Quebec gives its approval.

A trip that took one resident five minutes now takes 50. Children face an hour's drive each way to school, and the neighbouring town of Rivière-Rouge provides emergency services.

The mayor says the hole is losing about a foot a month, and frost could speed that up. Snow clearing alone would cost $350,000 more if nothing is fixed before winter.