The City of Saint John, New Brunswick is using its powers under the provincial Fire Prevention Act to force owners of derelict buildings to either repair them or demolish them. The fire department has inspection authority over any rental building with three or more rental units and has identified 25 buildings of concern.
St. John, NB
The City of Saint John, N.B. is using its powers under the provincial Fire Prevention Act to force owners of derelict buildings to either repair them or raze them.
City council has petitioned the provincial government to give it increased powers to order the demolition of dangerous, vacant buildings. The St. John Fire Department recently delivered a blitz of orders after Local Government Minister Bruce Fitch encouraged the city to use its existing powers under the Fire Prevention Act while the province considers the idea.
To underline their point, a vacant, fire-damaged rental building on the city’s Elgin St. was recently demolished after the owner received a fire marshal’s order.
The department is monitoring about 120 vacant buildings, and has identified more than 25 of them as buildings of concern.
Gerald Green, the district chief of fire prevention, says the fire department has recently issued six notices to owners of dangerous vacant buildings to be demolished.
“Saint John is heavily industrialized and one of the oldest cities in North America,” says Green.
“The rental housing stock in the downtown core is very old and some of the buildings are being operated just to collect rent. There’s no heritage value to them and the owners have deferred maintenance.”
The fire department has inspection authority over any rental building with three or more rental units. Green notes some of the buildings are vacant because tenants were evicted when the buildings failed to meet code.
“In the past, we’ve never used enforcement procedures,” says Green. “We would work with owners to bring the buildings up to minimum standard. We found that wasn’t working. Sometimes I can’t sleep at night knowing that people are threatened by the condition of some of those buildings.
“That’s why we’re using the provincial fire marshal’s authority to either have these buildings fixed up or torn down.”
A building owner who receives a fire marshal’s order has the right to appeal that decision and to repair the building, bringing it up to code. However, if the fire marshal’s office upholds the initial ruling and the owner does not comply with the order, the case may be brought before a provincial court judge.
A few building owners have voluntarily demolished their rental units after orders were issued to other buildings.
An order does not authorize the city to demolish the buildings, but charges the owner with the responsibility of demolition. Local contractors carry out the contracts on a case-by-case basis.
Green, an advocate of affordable housing, notes he takes no pleasure in seeing the city’s rental housing stock diminished and hopes to see new construction taking place on the properties.
“I’m just a firefighter,” he says.
“But given the power to do something to keep people safe, I’m doing it.”
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