2.
EXISTING PROBLEM PROPERTIES TASK FORCE COMMITTEE FOR
HINTONBURG
AND MECHANICSVILLE COMITÉ DU GROUPE DE
TRAVAIL SUR LES PROPRIÉTÉS À PROBLÈMES ACTUELLES DANS HINTONBURG ET
MECHANICSVILLE |
That Council recommend that the Existing Problem Properties
Task Force Committee for Hintonburg and Mechanicsville be recognized by the
City as a formal body.
Recommandation du comité
Que le Comité du groupe de travail sur les
propriétés à problèmes actuelles soit reconnu par la Ville comme un organisme
officiel.
DOCUMENTATION
1.
Coordinator, Community and Protective Services
Committee report dated 4 May
2007 (ACS2007-CCS-CPS-0010).
2. Extract of Draft Minute, 3 May 2007.
Report to / Rapport au:
Community and Protective Services Committee
Comité des services de
protection et d’urgence
and Council / et au Conseil
4 May 2007 / le 4 mai 2007
Submitted by/Soumis par : Rosemary
Nelson, Standing Committee Coordinator/
Coordonnatrice de comité permanent
Contact
Person/Personne ressource : Councillor Christine Leadman
(613) 580-2485
Christine.Leadman@ottawa.ca
|
Kitchissippi (Ward 15) |
Ref N°:
ACS2007-CCS-CPS-0010 |
SUBJECT: EXISTING
PROBLEM PROPERTIES TASK FORCE COMMITTEE FOR HINTONBURG AND
MECHANICSVILLE
OBJET: COMITÉ
DU GROUPE DE TRAVAIL SUR LES PROPRIÉTÉS À PROBLÈMES ACTUELLES DANS HINTONBURG
ET MECHANICSVILLE
That the Existing Problem Properties
Task Force Committee for Hintonburg and Mechanicsville be recognized by the
City as a formal body.
Que le Comité du groupe de travail sur les propriétés à problèmes actuelles
soit reconnu par la Ville comme un organisme officiel.
On 3 May 2007, the Community and Protective Services Committee approved the following Motion put forward by Councillor Leadman:
Whereas the Hintonburg and
Mechanicsville communities have had a Problem Properties Task Force Committee
consisting of By-law Services, Fire Services, Public Health, Police Services,
Rooming House Services, community members and the Kitchissippi Ward Councillor
for approximately three years;
Therefore be it resolved that the Existing Problem Properties Task Force
Committee for Hintonburg and Mechanicsville be recognized by the City as a
formal body.
CONSULTATION
For approximately three years, the Hintonburg community has had a task force on problem properties, which was set up informally by the Director of By-law and Regulatory Services. The ward councillor would like the City to recognize this task force as a body that can be called to the table any time for a meeting to address issues of common interest. Currently, issues they are working on are solely property standards related therefore no meeting was held this year.
Staff in Community and Protective Services is supportive of the recommendation.
FINANCIAL
IMPLICATIONS
N/A
Staff in Community and Protective
Services, and in particular in By-law and Regulatory Services will ensure the
task force is involved in issues that the community is interested in.
TARGETING
PROBLEMATIC ADDRESSES IN RIDEAU-VANIER
CIBLER LES ADRESSES PROBLÉMATIQUES À
RIDEAU-VANIER
ACS2007-CCS-CPS-0009 CITY WIDE / À L'ÉCHELLE DE LA VILLE
Cheryl Parrott, Hintonburg Community Association spoke in support of the recommendation, highlighting in particular, statements in the report that spoke to an integrated, coordinated and proactive approach to target problematic nuisance addresses and to enforce all possible infractions until the issues are resolved. She hoped the same could be applied to Kitchissippi ward, which has suffered similar problems, some spanning over 18 years. A copy of her submission dated 3 May 2007 is held on file.
When asked by Councillor Leadman whether she felt the recommendation reflects the type of activities or programs that have been in place in the Hintonburg/Mechanicsville area for the last few years, Ms. Parrott referred to the Problem Properties Task Forces Committee in Kitchissippi, noting it is very similar and is a positive way to go about addressing the problems. However, she maintained that there has to be a ‘buy in’ from staff for that systematic enforcement until the problems are addressed.
Susan Jones, Director of By-law and Regulatory Services, advised that staff have been working in Kitchissippi and Somerset wards to take a proactive approach to collectively bring in all the appropriate agents to deal with the problems. She acknowledged that resources have been an issue (call volume for their officers is approximately 800-1000/year), with property standards officers having an average caseload of 150-200. Funding for additional resources was not approved during the recent budget but staff want to be more proactive than reactive to eliminate many of these problems.
Councillor Leadman advised that she would like to introduce the following Motion as an amendment to the report recommendation:
Whereas the Hintonburg and
Mechanicsville communities have had Problem Properties Task Forces Committee
consisting of By-law Services, Fire Services, Public Health, Police Services,
Rooming House Services, community members and the Kitchissippi Ward Councillor
for approximately three years;
Therefore be it resolved that Existing
Problem Properties Task Force Committee for Hintonburg and Mechanicsville be
recognized by the City as a formal body.
Given the content however, Chair
Deans suggested that it be dealt with as a stand-alone Motion, separate from
the report recommendation.
In speaking to the report, Councillor Bédard explained that this is part and parcel of a strategy that has been developing with residents in his ward. He spoke about his area having one of the highest tenancy rates and how many of the people who own properties are absentee landlords. The fact this ward also has the highest room rate anywhere in the city has also caused numerous problems and they have been trying to address these problems through various means. Despite this work however, there is still the need for another concerted effort to deal in particularly with the absentee landlords, who continually lease their small apartments and rooming houses to people without doing any kind of background check. Such residences soon become known as places where people can go to buy and sell drugs. The councillor believed there was a need to formalize this strategy, to work effectively together and be held accountable to clean up the area and he maintained that what he proposes will be another tool to help the community deal with this growing crisis.
That the
Community and Protective Services Committee recommend that Council approve the
following:
1. That staff be
directed to establish an integrated working group consisting of by-law, fire,
public health, police, rooming house enforcement officers and representatives
of the Rideau-Vanier Councillor’s office.
2. That the Drug Unit of
the Ottawa Police Service be invited to participate and provide their
expertise;
3. That
this working group meets at least once a month to implement an integrated,
coordinated, proactive approach to target problematic nuisance addresses by
educating the tenants and landlords of these nuisance addresses concerning the
repercussions of their negative, disruptive, and/or disorderly behavior and
enforce all possible infractions systematically until the issues are resolved.
CARRIED
Moved by C. Leadman
Whereas the Hintonburg and
Mechanicsville communities have had Problem Properties Task Forces Committee
consisting of By-law Services, Fire Services, Public Health, Police Services,
Rooming House Services, community members and the Kitchissippi Ward Councillor
for approximately three years;
Therefore be it resolved that Existing
Problem Properties Task Force Committee for Hintonburg and Mechanicsville be
recognized by the City as a formal body.
CARRIED *
* As mentioned previously, the
Committee agreed to forward this Motion to Council as a stand-alone report and
therefore it was not considered as an amendment to Item 3.