Ottawa councillor wants city to crack down on 'problematic' properties

Vacant homes in Ottawa. Council voted in March to impose a one per cent tax on vacant units in Ottawa starting in 2023. (Peter Szperling/CTV News Ottawa)

An Ottawa city councillor wants the city to do more to crackdown on derelict properties that are the subject of frequent safety concerns and complaints to the city.

Rideau-Vanier Coun. Stephanie Plante has put forward a motion to be tabled at Thursday's emergency preparedness committee meeting that would see the city follow in the footsteps of cities like Edmonton that have created a "problematic properties" webpage.

This allows residents to report addresses to the city that have a history of recurring violations relating to safety, fire risk, building codes or illegal activity.

Plante says there has been an increase in the number of occupied or unoccupied derelict properties in all parts of the city.

"We have a lot of properties where someone owns it, but they're not taking ownership of the property itself," Plante said Monday on Newstalk 580 CFRA.

"They sort of think that 'I'm the property manager' so they're letting things like grass grow and they're letting garbage stay out for too long, which attracts rodents."

Plante says there are 10 properties in her ward where there are daily visits from fire, police, paramedics or public works and about 30 'frequent fliers,' where there are monthly visits because of complaints over the property conditions that are a financial burden on the city.

The City of Ottawa says there are approximately 6,000 properties that have been declared or deemed empty.

Plante says current bylaws and regulations don't go far enough to address the issue.

"We just want to get the message out that you are more than welcome to invest in the city, but you have to take responsibility for the properties that you have and you can't expect the city to sort of babysit your property," Plante said.

"We have bylaw and we have property standards, but there's no coordinate response at the city and that's what I'm hoping to get off the ground."

The City of Edmonton launched its Problem Property Initiative in 2022 to identify and deal with problematic properties that generate extraordinary demand on services and represent a risk to the vibrancy of a neighbourhood.

Residents are asked to report these properties online by using an online form, which allows the city to keep track of properties that cause frequent problems.

If passed, the motion would direct city staff to look at the feasibility of the policy, which would have to be approved by the emergency preparedness committee.

If carried at committee, the issue would be submitted to April's city council meeting.