Next year, the new city council elected on Oct. 24 will receive a report from city administration with recommendations on how to better deal with abandoned or derelict properties.
Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann put forward a successful motion to this effect during this week’s planning committee meeting, at which she cited it as a longstanding issue.
“It brings into question the broken windows theory and the concept that each problem that goes unattended in a given environment affects people’s attitude toward the environment and leads to more problems,” she said.
When a neighbourhood appears neglected, she said it can lead to other problems around safety, with people taking on the frame of mind, “Nobody’s watching, I can do whatever I want.”
“It disrespects traditional pioneer neighbourhoods, and all neighbourhoods, actually,” she added. “It certainly does not cast a bright light on our municipality when you first come in and the first thing you see is a derelict building ready to fall down.”
The motion notes there are several properties throughout the municipality slated for renovations or construction, have been issued building permits but have been left in a state of disrepair or abandoned for extended periods of time with open permits.
Staff have been directed to present a report to city council during the second quarter of 2023 which would “provide information on what other municipalities are doing to address the problems with abandoned or derelict properties, to address the maintenance of heritage properties in the property standards by-law, as well as options/suggestions to lobby the Province to have the language in the Building Code Act amended to provide The Chief Building Officials with clear direction regarding the revocation of building permits.”
Whatever the new city council approves will join the city’s property standards bylaw and the Brownfield Strategy and Community Improvement Plan, which provides incentives for people to “breathe new life into vacant commercial and industrial properties,” according to the city’s website.
Landry-Altmann has had property maintenance standards at the front of her agenda in recent months, and recently pushed for the city to reinforce a rule that vehicles are not allowed on front and side yards. The resulting bylaw, known as the Unauthorized Area Parking Bylaw, will add teeth to city enforcement in the event the Ministry of the Attorney General approves it.
With city administration poised to look at what other municipalities have done, it’s likely Sault Ste. Marie factors into their research.
They drafted a new policy standards bylaw to crack down on buildings that posed a health hazard, which allowed the city to get court orders to demolish buildings.
From June-August, the city laid 26 charges in relation to vacant properties believed to be owned by shell corporations.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
