HALIFAX -- The Nova Scotia government has renewed the localized state of emergency order in part of downtown Halifax as crews continue to work at the site of a toppled crane.

The crane collapsed onto a building under construction on South Park Street during post-tropical storm Dorian on Sept. 7.

The area surrounding the crane has been closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic and a localized state of emergency was declared in the area on Sept. 18.

The step shifted the liability for potential damage during the crane's removal to the province.

Labour Minister Labi Kousoulis previously said the move was necessary because it was taking the building's developer and the crane's owner too long to get private insurance.

The state of emergency order was set to expire Wednesday at 3:30 p.m., but the province has renewed the order to ensure the ongoing removal of the crane.

The renewed state of emergency will remain in effect for another 14 days, unless the government terminates or extends the order.

It's been 25 days since the crane toppled during Dorian and there's still no word on what went wrong or how long it will take to clean up.

"We can't rush the process," said Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal Minister Lloyd Hines. "We have to make sure we know what we are doing. We have to do it safely."

The localized emergency area is defined as the city block within the boundaries of Cathedral Lane, and bordered by Brenton Street, Brenton Place and Spring Garden Road.

Dozens of residents, along with a number of businesses, were evacuated from the area after the crane collapsed on Sept. 7. Those residents and businesses remain under a mandatory evacuation order.

As for the ongoing removal process, the province says the upper portion of the crane has been secured, and that crews are now focused on securing the portion of the crane that is draped over the side of the building.

There is still no word on how long it will take to remove the crane, which has caused some structural damage to parts of the construction site.

"The actual time table will be influenced by what we find as we go forward, by what the engineers recommend and what the conditions are that are there," Hines said.

It's cold comfort to those who are out of their homes and are losing money from closed businesses.

"They said, optimistically, three to four weeks, it could be four to six weeks, but we're basically working on the premise that we're going to be out of our offices until November," said Eugene Tan, a lawyer who has been displaced from his office on South Park Street.

The developer responsible for the crane is helping residents who were displaced, but there is no compensation for businesses.

Businesses representatives affected by the downed crane met Tuesday night to discuss the situation.

"The group got together born out of frustration because we're getting very little information," Tan said. "We're trying to organize so that information is coming through one source. It can be spread to all of us. If necessary, we'll make decisions together and we'll take actions together."

The Department of Business says it hasn't received any requests for help from the businesses affected

"I haven't had any request for compensation or any consideration around that whatsoever," said Business Minister Geoff MacLellan.

MacLellan said he's not aware of any programs that would help businesses in this situation

Businesses in the area have been hit hard and many of them are now working together as this process moves forward. Some have confirmed they will take legal action and many are worried they just won't survive.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Amy Stoodley.