4 more homes demolished as city looks to reduce risk of abandoned buildings

Catherine Kew has been living in the West Jasper Sherwood neighbourhood for 21 years and said she's seeing more boarded up buildings than ever before.

"I will tell you, in the last few years, it's gotten really bad for abandoned houses," Kew said. "No one in the area knows what's happening to them. They're just sitting there and they're an eyesore."

There are at least six derelict homes in the west Edmonton community, and she said they're more than just unsightly. Unkept yards attract mice and other pests, and at least one home nearby has been broken into several times – despite the owner boarding it up.

"Like, it's a nice neighbourhood but we're starting to see some issues," she said.

Another major concern with abandoned or derelict homes is fire. So, in April the Community Property Safety Team (CPST) was created.

The 18-month pilot program is a collaboration between the City of Edmonton and Edmonton Fire Rescue Services. Based on a model from Surrey, B.C., it works to increase public safety by ensuring empty properties stay empty.

The CPST acting Chief, Cameron Bardas, said fires in abandoned buildings are disproportionately high, but that risk drops to nearly nothing if people can't get in.

"What we're doing in essence is removing ignition sources," he said.

By identifying problem properties and working to secure them, the team prevents fires and the harm they cause to the people inside, the neighbouring homes and any firefighters on scene.

And, he added, they work alongside other agencies in the city to ensure the people they're removing are not forgotten.

"We're in fact displacing them through boarding (homes) up. We have to rely on other services to make sure that those people are being properly taken care of," Bardas said. "We're not solving those problems, but we do work collaboratively with those other groups to make sure we're not missing them either."

If proper boarding and additional security measures, like fencing or security, don't work. The CPST has the power to order the demolition of a home, with or without the owner's consent.

"But one of the things we're trying to work hard on is also communicating the purpose behind our work, and we're actually finding as Surrey did, that a lot of property owners voluntarily not just comply with orders, but move quickly," Bardas said.

Since April, the pilot has secured 37 properties, demolished 10 and is currently evaluating another 150 properties in the city.

In addition to the CPST, Edmonton City Council is considering a tax penalty on derelict properties.

"We're spending a lot of money to ensure that these properties aren't having a negative impact on communities," said city councillor Andrew Knack. "We know that the longer those properties are allowed to sit in that state, the harder it can be on neighbourhoods."

Knack said council has the power to charge up to five times the tax on a derelict property, and a draft tax policy is scheduled to be discussed on Oct. 25 by the community and public services committee.

"I think it's time for us to start using that tool," Knack said. "Because they should be paying for essentially the enforcement work that is a direct result of their properties not being taken care of and harming the community as part of that."

Problem properties should be reported by calling 311, visiting the CPST website or emailing the team directly at [e-mail].

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Amanda Anderson