Resident wants action on derelict properties
A Caswell Hill resident wants the city to put more resources into enforcing the bylaw intended to prevent properties from becoming eyesores and safety hazards.
Shannon Vinish appeared before Saskatoon city council Monday to complain about the City of Saskatoon’s enforcement of its property maintenance bylaw. Specifically, she cited a vacant house that has been left half demolished in the Mayfair neighbourhood.
The half-collapsed property on the corner of Avenue B North and 34th Street West is fenced off with signs warning of asbestos and dirt spilling out onto the street.
Vinish said the demolition began on Sept. 5 and then stopped, leaving the possibility of asbestos particles blowing into the air.
“You can imagine how we feel in this neighbourhood,” Vinish told council. “The fact that that property’s been sitting open, partially demolished for three weeks now. We’ve had some windy days.”
The city’s property maintenance bylaw covers a wide range of concerns, including dilapidated structures, graffiti, junked vehicles, overgrown grass and weeds, and “untidy and unsightly property.”
Fines for violating the bylaw start at $250 for a first offence, then increase to $500 and $750. Failure to comply with orders issued to remedy violations range from $500 to $1,000.
The Saskatoon Fire Department is charged with enforcing the bylaw.
“I know you wouldn’t see this in another neighbourhood, certainly not the suburbs,” Vinish said.
Vinish suggested a higher level of enforcement of the property bylaw could be funded by requiring those who own more than one property in the city to obtain a business licence. The Avenue B North property is owned by a numbered company, 101052610 Saskatchewan Ltd.
Coun. Hilary Gough, who represents Caswell Hill, has asked for a report on the city’s enforcement of the bylaw, saying the resources are “simply insufficient.”
Coun. Darren Hill, whose ward includes the Mayfair neighbourhood, said the Avenue B house has been a “blight on the community” for some time. He asked for more information on the delay in demolition.
Since 2014, the city has received 9,330 complaints about property maintenance, including 2,322 so far this year. The city is on track to issue more tickets this year than in any of the previous three. The city issued 70 tickets in 2014, 36 in 2015, six in 2016 and 62 so far in 2017.
The city has already issued more orders to remedy bylaw violations in 2017 at 304 than in any of three previous years, when orders totalled 634.
“For the most part, our citizens are compliant,” fire Chief Morgan Hackl said in an interview. “In 2017, that does not appear to be the case.”
Hackl said he will propose a different staffing model to enforce the bylaw at November budget talks where concerns about overgrown grass and weeds are transferred to another city department.
Vinish, who has lived in Caswell Hill for 10 years, told council vacant properties help illustrate “drastic changes” in the area.
The gentrification of Riversdale has pushed “negative activity” north, she said, citing prostitution, gang activity and methamphetamine use and dealing.
Vinish and fellow Caswell Hill resident Daniel Gerle were interviewed near the half-demolished house on Wednesday and expressed their frustration.
“Our action is caused by the City of Saskatoon’s inaction,” Gerle said.
“The city is always treating these neighbourhoods with the least amount of interest,” said Vinish, who lived in Mayfair for 10-anda-half years before moving to Caswell Hill.
Saskatoon Police Service media specialist Julie Clark confirmed the revitalization of Riversdale has caused a shift in crime, but police cannot identify a specific neighbourhood that is being affected.
Citywide property crime has increased 9.1 per cent this year compared to 2016, while violent crime has decreased 0.8 per cent, according to police statistics.
Violent crime has dropped 7.3 per cent in the area south of 33rd Street and west of Idylwyld Drive, which includes Caswell Hill, while property crime has jumped six per cent.
Meanwhile, south of 22nd Street and west of Idylwyld, which includes Riversdale, violent crime is down 18.5 per cent and property crime has dipped 2.2 per cent.
Gough admits gaps exist in the city’s efforts to monitor and nuisance properties and compel owners to maintain them. “There’s no silver bullet answer,” Gough said.