A request for help demolishing a fire-damaged River Street home gave Prince Albert councillors a real-life example Monday of the balance they are trying to find in dealing with derelict properties.
Brian and Louella Martin, owners of 1025 River Street West, asked the City to make an exception to its expired Derelict Property Demolition Incentive.
The Martins said in a letter to council that the rental property was damaged by fire and, despite efforts to secure it, was later broken into three times and suffered two more fires. They eventually decided demolition was the best option.
Coun. Tony Head said he contacted the family and was told they were seeking about $4,000 in savings, largely through waived landfill fees. He said the Martins also intend to rebuild on the property.
“I hope we can work with this family to ensure that this house gets torn down because it is no longer inhabitable due to the fire,” Head said.
The former incentive program ended Jan. 1, 2026. Anna Dinsdale, who answered questions for Community Development during the meeting, said 10 properties were approved through the program in 2024 and 2025 and five were denied.
The Martins told council information about the program remained on the City’s website after it expired.
Mayor Bill Powalinsky said that alone did not obligate the City to honour the program. Dinsdale said an order had been placed on the River Street property in 2024, deadlines were missed and the matter eventually went to court for compliance. She also confirmed there had been an opportunity to apply for the incentive before it ended.
Committee did not approve an exception Monday. Instead, the request was referred to administration for a report on the specific case, which Dinsdale said could return by the end of August.
Later in the meeting, councillors turned to the other side of the derelict property issue and discussed what Prince Albert could learn from Edmonton when owners do not deal with problem properties.
Coun. Daniel Brown said Edmonton uses a group involving fire, police and bylaw officials to examine properties together.
“They kind of have a task force with fire department, police, bylaw,” Brown said. “They go and look at these properties together as a group.”
Coun. Blake Edwards also pointed to Edmonton’s approach to unsecured derelict properties. He said the city can require security at properties where people are repeatedly coming and going, then bill the owner for that security.
“If I’m a property owner that’s getting billed daily on a security, I think I’m probably going to deal with it,” Edwards said.
Edmonton also applies a higher tax rate to qualifying derelict residential properties, one of several approaches Prince Albert administration is expected to examine as it develops recommendations.
Coun. Bryce Laewetz noted the contrast between the two discussions about the Martins’ request for demolition assistance. He described the later discussion about tougher measures as “a little bit counteractive to our first topic of the night.”
Powalinsky described the two sides as “the carrot and the stick approach,” saying the City’s demolition incentive represented the carrot while stronger enforcement could provide the stick.
“So far we tried the carrot with the demolition incentive,” he said.
For the Martins, administration will now decide what it recommends in their individual case. For council, the broader question is whether reducing Prince Albert’s derelict properties will require both approaches: help for owners prepared to act and stronger consequences when properties continue to sit neglected.
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
