Masse calls on Ottawa to clean ‘dilapidated’ former HMCS Hunter building
The former HMCS Hunter building on Ouellette Avenue is in such a “reprehensible” state of neglect that Windsor MP Brian Masse is calling on Ottawa to clean up its vacated downtown property.
Masse, the NDP member of Parliament for Windsor West, described the federally owned structure as “dilapidated,” sitting behind fences that are collapsing on a property littered with garbage, including hypodermic needles. The building’s facade is “crumbling,” he said.
In a work order request sent last week to federal Minister of Defence Harjit Sajjan, he said the building needs to be cleaned and secured, and planning for its future should be a priority.
Responding to complaints and questions from constituents, Masse said he visited the site only to realize “the future of it appears to be mirroring what took place under the Paul Martin Building.”
For years, that other prominent federal building downtown was surrounded by hoarding to protect passersby from debris falling from its crumbling walls. On the eve of the 2015 federal election, the Tories promised to fix the facade, which was accomplished for an estimated $3.3 million.
Masse sent his request on Friday, with a copy of the correspondence also forwarded to Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens’s office. The Star was unable to reach anyone at Sajjan’s office on the weekend.
“They clearly know that there is something going on with the property,” Masse said, “because there’s no doubt that there’s been some work done in relation to the property. That’s why the fencing went up … this is no surprise to them.”
“This is not an outpost in Afghanistan. This is downtown Windsor. A federal defence building, of all things, has broken furniture on it, has garbage, has the facade falling down, and they have places where they flew the Canadian colours basically rotting away.”
After the “immediate public safety” concerns are addressed, Masse said, discussion needs to follow on the future of the empty government building just north of Erie Street, “whether it’s going to be reused, recycled or put out for sale.” Currently, he said, it’s urban blight in downtown Windsor.
“We have enough property owners in the city that are neglecting, especially the landlords or property owners from outside the city that are sitting on vacant property, that we need the federal government to set an example properly here,” he said.
Jim Korovessis lives in the apartment building next door to the former HMCS Hunter building.
“They should cut the grass more often,” Korovessis said. He said the vacant lot across the street also needs to have its grass mowed.
In 2015, Windsor’s naval reserve unit left Ouellette Avenue and moved to a new facility at 90 Mill St. along the Detroit River.
The former HMCS Hunter building was used for training during the Second World War, and it’s “part of the vibrant history of our community,” Masse said.
“For it to be abandoned like this is just reprehensible. We need to see some respect to the heritage.”
In the rear of the building, Canadian Armed Forces members scratched names and accompanying dates into bricks. Masse said the building was the site of memorial ceremonies and parades.
“This is no fate for a building that clearly helped determine what kind of country we are,” Masse said.