Legislative change looking to reduce number of dilapidated homes in Saskatchewan [Video]

Amended legislation introduced this week aims to address abandoned and dilapidated properties across the province.

On Wednesday, the province announced changes to The Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) act which will allow SCAN officers to apply for court orders to have nuisance property owners forfeit the property or have them repaired as a way of reducing nuisance properties and making them livable again.

David Fineday has spent many years in Saskatoon advocating for many social issues. The Pleasant Hill Community Association has watched for years as more homes in the neighbourhood fall into disrepair, eventually becoming boarded up and a home to a variety of crimes.

“Lots of them get broken into, and they get used for meth houses or flop houses,” Fineday said. “People get sick in them. You never know what happened in there. People get shot or killed. They’re unsafe.”

Prior to Wednesday’s announced changes, SCAN officers …