Carol Baldwin
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Wakaw Recorder
A recent release from the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) is calling on the government to provide funding for the cleanup of abandoned or derelict buildings and yard sites.
Saskatchewan rural municipalities (RMs), the release states, continue to battle the increasing number of abandoned buildings and yard sites that litter the province. Many RMs struggle with limited funds, legal powers, and technical know-how to effectively manage derelict buildings. Support from the provincial government, it says, could ease this challenge, helping communities remain safe, attractive, and economically vibrant.
Derelict buildings and vacant yards can create significant financial burdens and pose risks to public safety due to increased fire hazards, the potential for structural failures, heightened criminal activity, and health risks from pests and mould. Furthermore, environmental regulations regarding the disposal of buildings that may contain asbestos have become increasingly expensive.
These abandoned properties also have a detrimental effect on property values and detract from the visual appeal and character of Saskatchewan’s communities.
“A lot of these buildings we’re talking about are often from villages that no longer operate,” SARM executive director Laurel Feltin said.
Municipal legislation requires RMs to take over villages once they get to a point where they cannot operate anymore. There may only be a handful of houses left, and they do not have a council, an administrator, or any staff anymore, so an RM takes over those few houses. The problem arises when people just decide to move one day and don’t tell anyone. They may owe taxes to the RM or may just decide to cut their losses and leave, and then it ends up as an abandoned property.
When an RM must take ownership of a property through tax enforcement proceedings, it assumes the financial responsibility for its maintenance, demolition, or repurposing, unless it can be sold in ‘as-is’ condition. By the time the RM acquires the title, structures are often unsafe for entry. Additionally, the environmental regulations and policies governing the demolition and cleanup of such properties, along with the distance to local landfills for disposal, can result in costs that are extremely high and often unmanageable.
“Derelict buildings and yard sites are not only an eyesore, but also threaten community safety. SARM invites the provincial government to step up and assist in the removal and remediation of these buildings. Rural municipalities want to encourage families to live, work, and stay in rural Saskatchewan, and nothing is more discouraging than a surplus of abandoned buildings and yard sites. Financial help from the provincial government would allow RMs to develop plans and take action on abandoned properties,” SARM President Bill Huber said.
Many areas in North America receive grants to demolish derelict buildings and properties. The District of Kitimat in British Columbia has developed a grant program to demolish vacant and derelict buildings and properties. SARM is advocating that the provincial government develop a Derelict Building Grant program, similar in nature, to aid RMs and assist in the removal and clean-up, so the property could be built on again or planted with native grass. Grant funding would target the decommissioning of impacted sites, landfill management, and clean-up of derelict buildings and enable RMs to mitigate environmental risks, improve public health, and foster long-term economic opportunities in rural Saskatchewan.
CAO Melissa Dieno responded to queries on this topic as it relates to the RM of Fish Creek.
“We are fortunate around here that if the RM gains title for a property in the RM, we should be able to tender it ‘as is”. It is more of a problem where an oil pump jack has come to the end of its life, and the owner walks away. In that instance, it becomes that municipality’s problem, and then the environmental clean-up is very costly. This could also be the case in an urban center where a property owner dies, and the municipality gains title through a tax title property. If it is an old house in town that needs to be demolished, the Town would likely need to do an asbestos abatement as part of that. It has become increasingly more costly to clean up these derelict properties.”
The government responded to SARM’s call by stating that eligible municipalities can receive financial support through Saskatchewan’s Municipal Revenue program and recommended that RMs create bylaws to hold property owners accountable before the issue transpires.
“Municipalities,” the Ministry of Government Relations stated, “have the authority to enact a bylaw to address nuisances, including buildings in a ruinous or dilapidated state.”
