LOUSY OPTICS AND POOR COMMUNICATION

Ahouse was torn down in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality this week. No surprise there as dozens of derelict homes have been demolished every year in the CBRM since 2013.

The demolition policy was implemented, in large part, due to the excessive number of arson cases reported at these abandoned structures.

It’s also a policy we wholeheartedly support and wish the CBRM’s building, planning and licensing department had more than $120,000 annually to spend on removing more of the hundreds of dangerous and unsightly properties that mar the local landscape.

Most of these demolitions take place under the radar, the former owners usually long gone from the neighbourhood.

But the house that was razed on Campbell Street in North Sydney on Wednesday evening presented a different story.

It was the subject of complaints by neighbours and others for nearly a decade, primarily due to strange odours emanating from the property along with health concerns. As a result, homeowner Sylvia Dolomont was issued a demolition order in January. She appealed and several extensions were granted.

Dolomont then petitioned the court to grant an injunction to allow her time to comply with the municipality’s demand to clean up her property, but in July she lost and the demolition clock started ticking.

Unfortunately, CBRM’s execution of the final order, under cover of darkness after Dolomont, her supporters and the media had left the scene on Wednesday, comes across as ham-fisted and underhanded.

“They came in the dark, like snakes crawl at night – it was pretty sneaky and cruel,” said Dolomont of the timing of the demolition. “They didn’t want any protesters or the media here, that’s what it was all about, that’s how sneaky they are.”

Paul Burt, CBRM manager of building, planning and licensing laws, wasn’t in his office Thursday and couldn’t be reached for comment, leaving Jillian Moore, communications officer for the municipality, to offer this explanation:

“We expected it (the demolition) to take place Thursday, however the contractor was then able to co-ordinate later in the day, so the decision was made to go ahead with the demolition in the early evening.

“The contractor arrived late on site and instead of pushing it until the next day, they decided to go ahead. It’s not uncommon for our contractors to work into the early evening.”

Hmmm.

Out of sight of prying eyes. How convenient. From our vantage point the CBRM doesn’t need to apologize for its derelict home demolition policy. Not in this case or any other building deemed dangerous or unsightly.

But if it didn’t consider the lousy optics of tearing down this particular home under cover of darkness then a refresher course in public relations is needed.

It rates right up (or down) there with the public relations faux pas connected with Centre 200’s terrible communications job when it came to informing patrons that no outside food or drink would be allowed inside the arena just hours before last Friday’s Quebec Major Junior Hockey League game.

There’s nothing wrong with the policy. It’s quite common at arenas and concert venues everywhere.

But wouldn’t it have been an exercise in good public relations to inform the community well in advance of this particular policy being implemented? Call it Good Customer Relations 101.