Neighbours breathe easier after stinky house demolished

STEPHENVILLE — Cyril and Trudy White of King Street in Stephenville were breathing a sigh of relief last Thursday as a stinky house next door was being demolished by an excavator.

More than 80 cats had been removed from the house after three visits by representatives of the Southwest Coast SPCA, members of the Bay St. George RCMP and the Town of Stephenville’s animal control officer.

Cyril White said it was a long time coming. He says in August 2018 he realized the smell was emanating from inside the home next door.

He reported it to the town, and said the smell was even worse on warm summer days.

The couple said they were concerned for the health of the home's tenant, although they believe he was living in a camper outside the house.

“We don’t like to see people put out of their home, but in this case, it wasn’t good for the tenant and it was affecting our lives,” Trudy said. “We just couldn’t take it anymore.”

Town council approved at its Sept. 19 meeting an order to vacate, remediate or demolish the property. The order was issued on Sept. 24 and gave the owner 21 days to comply.

Mayor Tom Rose said council's order was the right thing to do from a human health safety perspective.

He said for the neighbours next door to be affected by the smell, it was a measure that had to be taken.

Rose said there was no way to remediate the condition of the house, so there was no other option but to tear it down.

He said the town had correspondence with the Whites, mobilized their staff and co-ordinated the demolition with the Southwest Coast SPCA and the RCMP for an outcome that should be satisfactory to all parties.

The owner of the house, Sean Hickey, said because of the state of the building it had to be destroyed, which was a loss for him.

He said under the Landlord Tenants Act, there was cause for immediate eviction, where the house was uninhabitable.

Hickey said the issue has been long term, but he complied quickly with the order, getting the house down a little more than a week later.

He said he felt sorry for his tenant, noting he’s not a bad guy, just someone who loves cats.