Owners of vacant buildings may have more time to opt into a new city program to pay for the cost of fighting fires on their properties.
The city’s community services committee, is asking for an extension of the opt-in deadline from December 31, 2024 to April 30, 2025, according to the committee’s upcoming meeting agenda.
“An extension is being requested to ensure the Department has sufficient time to calculate the invoice amounts and allow property owners appropriate time to choose to opt-in to the new program,” the report reads.
The reports said the recent postal strike did not allow all vacant building owners sufficient time to learn and understand the new fee schedule.
In October 2024, the city passed a new bylaw that introduced a fixed payment for homeowners whose vacant properties caught fire.
Instead of the cost of each firefighting apparatus’ time on scene, homeowners pay a fixed fee …