MOOSE JAW - During the July 22 city council meeting, Coun. Kim Robinson brought up a motion to address concerns around dilapidated buildings in the name of public safety by seeking funding through the Saskatchewan Ministry of Justice and facilitated by the Saskatchewan Economic Development Alliance (SEDA) to speed up an earlier bylaw still in development.
This motion, he said, aims to address the city’s plan to create a bylaw for vacant and dilapidated buildings that was first introduced around one year ago. Since that time, no bylaw has been developed and City Manager Maryse Carmichael told council that the city solicitor is “still working on it.”
Originally proposed during the June 26, 2023, council meeting, Bylaw No. 5484 — the proposed Property Maintenance and Nuisance Bylaw — sought to address public apathy caused by derelict buildings. Citing the works of social scientists in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, Coun. Robinson said broken windows, graffiti, and abandoned spaces attract criminal behaviour — a position shared by Police Chief Rick Bourassa.
“This was just a way I thought I could speed things up,” Coun. Robinson said during council.
Coun. Robinson said he first learned of this opportunity when the City of Yorkton was recently granted funding through the program. Yorkton used the funds to hire a public engagement group who was then able to come up with a workable solution regarding derelict buildings that addressed graffiti, access, and public safety.
Coun. Crystal Froese said she also heard of the program and pointed out that other municipalities including Estevan, Nipawin, Humbolt, Outlook, and Regina have all taken advantage of it.
The grant, she explained, comes from the Community Safety and Well-Being Strategy Program offered through the Ministry of Justice.
“It’s definitely worth exploring,” she added.
Other cities, she said, have worked with SEDA to help facilitate the process.
Her stated concern was that the cost to implement the program could mean the idea “stays dusty on a shelf” for quite some time.
From her research, Froese said smaller communities like Estevan and Lloydminster have taken this on and found ways to improve their community, and the City of Regina received up to $1 million to implement the program in one hopeful example.
Since other communities are also interested in the program, another concern is how much money will still be available when the City of Moose Jaw completes its application.
Coun. Dawn Luhning reiterated that a similar motion was passed last June.
“I just want to know if we need (the new motion), or if the bylaw we are bringing forward will cover many of the things Coun. Robinson is interested in,” she said.
In response, Carmichael said that she is aware of the program offered by the Ministry of Justice and raised no objections to its consideration.
“I think there is merit to getting all the agencies together… especially on the health side,” she said. “On the overall safety of the city, I think this funding could help us to look at a strategy for Moose Jaw.”
Carmichael also said the planned derelict homes bylaw “is still part of the work the (city solicitor) is doing,” and said she’s received no update as to when this will be presented to city council.
Following a vote, the motion to seek funding regarding derelict and abandoned buildings through the Ministry of Justice was carried unanimously.
