Questions raised on abandoned properties after man accused of setting one on fire

Kitchener, who appeared at Prince Albert Provincial Court on Monday, was remanded, and is scheduled to make his next court appearance on April 25.

According to the landlord, the previous tenant lived in the house for eight years. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

The house is owned by Josh Morrow who told paNOW a man was shot earlier this year on the property. He believes the fire was deliberately set and was done as a way to cover up what transpired at the house months earlier.

“The sad thing is nobody seems to be taking any action when it comes to arson or gang-related incidents, especially on that street. I mean that’s probably the fourth house I would say that I have purchased in that area that has been shot up and burnt down,” he said.

According to a January release from the Prince Albert Police Service, police were dispatched to a home in the 700 block of 12th St. W on Jan. 13. At the home, police found a 43-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound. The man was transported to hospital with life-threatening injuries, but was listed in stable condition.

The investigation into that incident continues and there have been no charges laid at this time. In a statement to paNOW on Monday, police said “there does not appear to be any connection” between the two incidents.

Morrow purchased a number of homes in the city with plans to restore them or demolish for new builds. He said there needs to be some incentives offered by the city to get these homes knocked down and security for future neighbourhoods.

“Nobody wants to work down there and all the tools were stolen from the contractors on two or three different sites,” he said.

What’s to be done about vacant homes in the city

The issue of abandoned houses has been discussed several times by the Board of Police Commissioners. At their meeting Dec. 18, a request was made for an updated list of the boarded homes in the city.

At the board’s meeting last Monday, Police Chief Jon Bergen said there are 13 boarded up homes in the city. There are also 53 additional files still being reviewed under the Property Amenity or Property Maintenance Bylaw. Due to privacy-related concerns, Bergen said he could not identify who owned the properties.

As a landlord who has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into the community, Morrow said there’s only so much money budgeted for these projects. He said demolition costs are expensive.

“Now you are left with a vacant lot and you need the economy to pick up so you can actually put something there. Nobody is going to do things to lose money because nobody would be in business,” he said.

Morrow claimed he tried to reach out to Mayor Greg Dionne, so they could discuss a plan and a strategy.

“I think I have called the mayor 30 or 35 times in the last year and a half to discuss some of these issues and see if we can mitigate some of these problems and maybe develop some sort of plan,” he said. “And I’ve just got out a straight out ‘Not interested in talking to you and don’t want anything to do with you.'”

When asked for a response, Prince Albert Mayor Greg Dionne said his office keeps track of of all calls and according to their phone records there were only three conversations with Morrow.

“Each time he was referred to the City Manager’s office,” Dionne said. “I don’t do re-development plans, I do new dealings.”

With regards to the issue of boarded up homes in the city, Dionne said bylaw has a clear mandate from council.

“They are eyesores and they have been around too long and we are going to deal with them,” he said.

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nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell

by Nigel Maxwell

Questions raised on abandoned properties after man accused of setting one on fire

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