North Battleford lowered the boom Monday on another run-down property, this time on 105th Street.
City council voted unanimously to pass a resolution to raze the property at 1501-105th Street. The resolution called for the owner to complete their own demolition of the house and garage at 1501-105th Street by Aug. 24, or Wednesday. If not, the city would proceed to complete the work themselves with the costs to be added to the property taxes.
The house has a history of unsanitary conditions. On June 8 of this year, the house was placarded under the Public Health Act as unfit for human occupation and the tenant was ordered to vacate the premises. A letter was sent to the owner outlining the numerous deficiencies at the property, with the recommendation that it be demolished. The owner, Anas Kashif of Calgary, did not respond to the public health officer.
This is not the first time city hall has taken on Kashif over properties that had been placarded by public health or otherwise run-down. Five of Kashif's properties on 110th street were previously demolished upon the order of city council. City council also voted last fall to demolish three more on 101st, 104th and 107th streets. Those three properties remain standing, however, as Kashif has challenged that demolition order in the courts.
Building department inspector Jerry Wintonyk told council Monday an order was issued July 14 to demolish the 105th street property, with the work to be completed by Aug. 24. That order was sent by registered mail and was unclaimed by the owner. The city also has not received any appeal of the order.
According to Wintonyk's Aug. 20 memorandum to council, the owner's "lack of maintenance has left this house in a very sub-standard condition," he stated. No attempt has been made to correct any of the deficiencies, he also said.
A number of photos from the property were provided to city councillors. The pictures showed broken doors and windows, moldy furnace areas and washrooms, as well as numerous cracks and dents in the walls.
The photos prompted an outraged reaction from Coun. Grace Lang, who couldn't believe people actually lived at the property back in June.
"That is absolutely criminal," said Lang. "That is criminal. I think that if we publish these pictures in the paper, people would be absolutely disgusted by what some landlords are doing. This has gone on long enough."
She initially thought this was the same property as another one that was supposed to have been fixed the previous fall.
When Wintonyk assured her this was a new order against different property, Lang could not believe it. "There was more than one of these disgusting properties left out there?" she asked.
"Unfortunately, yes," Wintonyk responded, to which a furious Lang called for the property to be demolished right away.
"The pictures should be public, because this is just disgusting," she said.
Coun. Trent Houk, also one of council's biggest hawks in lowering the boom on run-down properties, joined the call to raze the property.
" I would like to add to Coun. Lang's disgust that we have as a community," said Houk, who said he has driven by the house every day on his way to work and had wondered about it, and was waiting for some sort of order against it.
"I certainly hope that Social Services was not paying the rent on this house," he added.
There was no disagreement coming from Mayor Ian Hamilton or the other councillors, who joined in voting for the demolition resolution. The resolution carried by a seven to zero vote.
This is not the only house on the street facing a possible demolition for public health reasons. Wintonyk also told council that the house next door at 1511- 105th Street was inspected after the flood and was similarly placarded. "We are working to get that house knocked down as well," he said.
