Prince Albert’s Executive Committee has backed a recommendation to deny a one-time demolition incentive extension for the owners of a River Street West property, even as administration acknowledged the City gave inconsistent information after the program expired.
The request came from Brian and Louella Martin, owners of 1025 River Street West, who asked the City to extend the Derelict Property Demolition Incentive Program to help cover demolition and cleanup costs.
Community Safety and Well-Being Manager Anna Dinsdale told committee Monday the program expired at the end of 2025, but that information was not communicated consistently across City departments during the first six months of this year. The application also remained accessible through the City’s website after the program ended, and a required review was delayed.
Dinsdale said those problems were acknowledged, but the Martins’ property still would have been unlikely to qualify even if the program had remained open.
She said the City had already spent significant resources trying to secure compliance at the property and eventually went to court.
“I think the analysis is that if the application process was still active, it would be very unlikely to have been approved,” Dinsdale said.
Mayor Bill Powalinsky said mistakes in communication may warrant an apology, but receiving an application did not guarantee approval.
“Mistakes would result in an apology, but not in a revision of the program to meet the circumstances of one particular individual,” Powalinsky said.
In a letter to council, the Martins said the rental property had been damaged by fire and later broken into, with additional fires following. They said they eventually decided demolition was the best option and believed they were still able to apply for the incentive after speaking with City staff and obtaining an application form.
Their correspondence was first before Executive Committee on Aug. 10, when it was referred to Community Development for review and report.
Coun. Bryce Laewetz said the property had generated more than 40 police calls between late 2021 and May 2026 and five Fire Department responses. He supported denying the extension, but questioned whether the program was doing enough to identify serious nuisance properties earlier.
“That should have been one of the first ones that was flagged,” Laewetz said.
Coun. Tony Head also questioned the structure of the 18-month program. Dinsdale said seven applications were approved in 2024 and three in 2025, while five were denied overall.
Acting Community Development Director Michael Nelson said the City’s other housing incentive programs do not generally have fixed end dates, but are reviewed after about a year.
The demolition incentive was created in 2024 to encourage property owners to act early and reduce the amount of enforcement work required from the City.
A broader review is expected to return to Executive Committee in September. The motion to deny the Martins’ extension request carried, with Coun. Daniel Brown opposed.
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
