The city is standing by its decision to tear down the Cromdale Hotel. The neglected building was set to be demolished last month but its owners filed an appeal.
For the past six years, the building's windows have been boarded up, and it has been declared unfit for humans.
One Friday, the city stood by its demolition order.
Christian Pickup believes removing the hotel from the land will make the area safer.
"It means we'll be feeling a lot more comfortable shopping at the shops and businesses around because we won't be frustrated every time we walk past or feeling unsafe every time we walk past," said Christian Pickup with community response to urban disorder.
Anne Olsen runs the Wee Book Inn, just steps from the Cromdale and is happy to hear that the building will be gone, once and for all.
"The building's reputation is so bad that our customers are nervous about coming to the area."
The council committee heard the property is a magnet for crimes, more than any other in the community.
"It is routinely vandalized and covered with nuisance conditions and as you walk around the property you are often hit with disgusting smells," said Ryan Pleckaitis with the city's complaints and investigations section.
The committee also heard an appeal from owners to let the Cromdale stand. A lawyer for the owner insists the building is not bad enough to tear down .
"I submit that the city has not shown that, as a result of that unsightly condition that the property is detrimental to the surrounding area," said Jerritt Pawlyk, lawyer representing Cromdale's owner.
But the committee decided it is.
And while the Cromdale might be a step closer to being demolished, it has a ways to go yet.
The written report is going to go out in the next few days and then it's in their ballpark and hopefully their ballpark means they're going to tear it down," said Couns. Ed Gibbons.
Pawlyk says they have 30 days to file an appeal.
With files from Deborah Shiry
