City council has ordered remedial action on the Maple Park Mall property in Quesnel.
At their last council meeting, Feb. 6, council voted in favour of a remedial action order for the derelicit property which will allow the city to proceed with securing the building and, add the cost to the property taxes should the owners not do the work themselves.
“Council agreed that the building is in a state that creates an unsafe condition and nuisance, causing a significant risk to health and safety, requiring the owner 1188308 B.C. Ltd. to seal all openings to the building, in accordance with the Fire Services Act and, arrange security personnel to inspect the building twice per day to ensure it has not been compromised,” states the city.
The work was to be started by Feb. 19 and if the owner fails to do so, the order will allow the city to do the work needed to seal up the 41 openings.
A summary presented to council described the property as being in “a state of disrepair and is attracting nuisance and hazardous activities.”
“There is evidence the site is being accessed by multiple persons for the purposes of theft, vandalism, and shelter.”
The city staff report to council added the city has been unable to contact the owner, and the mortgage company on title also state they have been unable to contact the owner.
City emergency and bylaw staff have made numerous calls to the property with consistent reports of its deteriorating state, notes the summary.
In its background information, the city report notes Maple Park Mall has struggled to obtain and retain tenants for a number of years and has been in a constant state of deterioration since 2018. The city said staff have attempted to work with the owners, potential future owners, the mortgage holder, and maintenance staff to encourage improvement of the asset in the community.
“Unfortunately, this has not been successful, and the property now is in a hazardous state due to it being unsecured, full of mold and having no fire suppression,” notes the report.
“The fire chief has reported entering building with RCMP and finding evidence of persons squatting in the building including mattresses and accumulations of materials.”
In 2023, there were 18 RCMP calls for service at the property.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify the property in disrepair is the former Maple Park Mall.
