As of late last week, June 26, and continuing through this week, emergency demolition and safety orders were issued by the Building Department for the following properties in West Windsor:

These are all boarded up homes in Ward 2 owned by the Canadian Transit Company and the Building Department created a map of boarded up properties. On the map red dots indicate properties with demolition orders, while blue dots indicate properties that, based on inspection, are currently considered structurally stable but are being actively monitored by the Building Department. This monitoring includes drone flyovers to identify failures that may not be clearly visible from the street.

As a result of these permits, 16 boarded-up buildings will be coming down over the summer. The exact timelines are not yet clear, as the properties are scattered across the West End. Time will be needed to position equipment, complete the demolition and remediation work, and then relocate equipment to the next site. I expect we will see buildings come down through the summer and into early fall.

As part of the demolition permit process, rodent abatement and other mitigation measures are required for neighbouring properties that may be impacted. Hopefully, those impacts are minimized, but if you have concerns or want to discuss this, please reach out to me.

What’s Next?

There are still approximately 20 boarded-up homes that are not yet at the point of requiring demolition. These properties will continue to be actively monitored. Even after last night’s storm, July 3, some may need to be re-inspected. Orders will be issued as the Building Department deems necessary. I will be notified and will continue to share updates with the community.

I hear, and have heard, a lot of frustration. After 20 years of neglect, some of these homes are suddenly coming down. The question of “why now?” is a fair one, and I asked it of the Building Department. From their perspective, these buildings have now reached a “point of no return” and pose risks to public safety. The strategy of freezing properties in Ward 2 to prevent unauthorized development by CTC has been a long one, and our community has borne the brunt of it.

The “what ifs” are almost infinite, but I cannot undo the past or the decisions that were made. I can only look forward. These buildings have been sources of vandalism, unsafe shelter, scrap activity, and negative perceptions about the area. Their removal is good news for Ward 2 and represents another positive step forward.

These properties are still owned by CTC/Ambassador Bridge and are zoned residential. At any point, CTC could sell them. At any point, they could submit a residential planning permit, and new homes could likely be built as-of-right. They could also cede land they no longer need to the City or a third party, allowing us to have a broader conversation about what comes next. I do not know what their plans are.

If you have any concerns, please reach out so we can have a proactive conversation before demolitions begin. As I learn more about specific timelines and properties, I will pass that information along.

I will also have an update on CTC Concrete in the coming days.