St. Thomas to tackle vacant building hazards with new by-law

A vacant building registry by-law will be drafted by St. Thomas city staff following recent major fires on Talbot Street. CTV’s Gerry Dewan reports.

St. Thomas is moving forward with a new Vacant Buildings By-law designed to prevent derelict properties from becoming safety hazards, following recent discussions with city council.

The initiative, a collaboration between the St. Thomas Fire Department and the city’s Planning and Building Services Department, aims to improve property standards and enhance public safety.

The impetus for the by-law gained significant momentum after a large fire in April 2025 that consumed a long-vacant warehouse, pouring black smoke into the air. The incident, which left fire officials uncertain about potential occupants or internal hazards, served as a critical turning point.

“That was, of course, a long-standing vacant building. It was just kind of had us say, ‘Yeah, this is something we need to do now,’” explained Chief Fire Prevention Officer Kim Destun.

The report notes that 2025 saw significant structural fire activity, including notable incidents at the former Weatherhead building and two heritage buildings on Talbot Street.

Destun, alongside Fire Chief Dave Gregory, presented the case for the new by-law to city council earlier this week. Gregory emphasized the risks faced by first responders when attending fires in unknown, unoccupied structures.

“We always use, you know, the [hypothetical] three in the morning incident. When we get a call at three in the morning going to a vacant building, what are we getting into, what hazards are in there,” he told council.

The presentation laid out the path to the by-law.

The proposed by-law would establish a mandatory Vacant Building Registry. Property owners will be required to register their vacant buildings, provide responsible-party contact information, identify current or intended uses, and report any changes. The plan also includes financial penalties for owners who allow buildings to remain unoccupied for extended periods, discouraging long-term speculation. The registry will capture key data points, including property identification, ownership details, vacancy status, security measures and an overall condition rating.

Coun. Lori Baldwin-Sands voiced support for the initiative.

“Making sure that absentee landlords know that St. Thomas is a place where we actually do care about our heritage, our built heritage,” she remarked. Destun added that the bylaw would compel owners to maintain their properties, making prolonged vacancy less economically attractive. “So, it’s not quite so valuable for the owner to hold on to it for ten years and let it sit.”

A significant benefit cited is improved safety for emergency personnel.

“If we know we were in their last week and it’s still boarded up perfectly, then we could safely assume that there’s nobody in there,” Destun explained, illustrating how better data from a registry can provide crucial situational awareness during fire calls.

The registry is intended to shift enforcement from a complaint-driven model to proactive monitoring, supporting risk management and redevelopment efforts. The administration of the registry is expected to involve fire prevention personnel with “very limited additional administrative burden,” collected as part of existing fire prevention efforts. St. Thomas officials are reviewing vacant property bylaws from other municipalities to inform the development of a bylaw that best suits local needs.

Council voted unanimously to support the drafting of the by-law.