Residents plea to council to stop building demolition

At 1755 Hamilton Street, all but a few of the 46 tenants have moved out.
Those still here, have until the end of the month to find a new place. 

Residents were only paying around $400 a month – the average rent in Regina for a one-bedroom is nearly double that amount.  

The Queen City Tenants’ Association says the loss of these units puts even more pressure on an already tight rental market.  

“We are at a crucial cracking point where people are having to double bunk, couch surf, stay in homeless shelters, and sometimes on the street. I’ve talked to a few of those people and it’s just a really desperate situation,” said Angelica Barth-Burkholder, co-founder of the Queen City Tenants’ Association. 

Barth and about a dozen others will voice their concerns at city council tonight in a last ditch attempt to stop the demolition.  

But the city said there is nothing they can do.  

“We have no legal authority to stop the demolition from happening. We do share the concerns of citizens and I know a number of them will be speaking to us tonight, but we have no legal authority to stop the demolition from happening,” said Michael Fougere, Regina City Councillor.  

The company who owns the property, Westland Ventures, said the city did not give them enough time to do the $150,000 worth of repairs and demolition was their only option. 

Westland had more than a year to complete the city’s list of repairs.  

After failing to meet the deadline, they applied for a demolition permit.  

Now the 86-year-old building is set to come down mid-February.  

“We need to ensure that they’re kept to health and safety standards and so building maintenance people and owners need to ensure that that happens before it gets to the point where they feel the only option is demolition,” said Barth-Burkholder.  

Barth knows at this point, not much can be done, but she hopes by speaking out something else can be done to relieve Regina’s rental crisis.