Owner’s inaction leaves demolition of fire-gutted Dairy Queen to city hall
Fire ravaged and forgotten, the remains of a former Dairy Queen may soon have a date with the wrecking ball.
On Aug. 10, city officials issued a Property Standards Order to make the building at 421 Wharncliffe Road South safe — but due to inaction by the owner, civic administration now recommend the municipality demolish what remains at the owner’s expense.
“It’s dangerous. It’s a safety hazard,” says Coun. Shawn Lewis who noted gaps in a temporary construction fence and other signs that people have been entering the charred building.
He says there is no time for delay.
“Eventually we do recoup the cost of the demolition either through property taxes or through sale of the land,” adds Lewis.
Coun. Shawn Lewis, seen outside the fire-gutted Dairy Queen on 421 Wharncliffe Road South on Sept. 28, 2022, wants to speed up the demolition of derelict buildings. (Daryl Newcombe/CTV News London)
A pair of suspicious fires in December and July gutted the building.
According to a report to city council’s Community and Protective Services (CAPS) Committee, “The building is not considered a heritage resource, nor is it within a heritage district.”
Explaining that derelict building can blight neighbourhoods across the city, Lewis says when property owners refuse to take action, he’d like to see an accelerated process for municipal intervention.
“There are more buildings on the demolition list that we will see at the committee next week. To me the sooner we can get these dealt with the better,” he says.
London police say their investigation into the fires is ongoing.
The CAPS Committee will consider the demolition on Oct. 4.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.