Kirkland Lake town council pledges action on abandoned houses in Chaput Hughes

One northern Ontario community has so many abandoned houses that it is being called a fire hazard.

There are at least two-dozen derelict buildings in the village of Chaput Hughes, which is part of Kirkland Lake.

Some are falling off their foundations, leaning into neighbouring yards and many others are missing windows and eavestroughs. 

This week town council heard that if a fire started in the tightly-packed neighbourhood, it could be difficult to put out.

"Quite honestly I wouldn't recommend anybody even light up a cigarette in that area. Liable to burn a house down," said Mayor Pat Kiely. 

"It's pretty scary."

Council asked the fire department and municipal building inspectors to assess the possible risks in Chaput Hughes and what the solutions might be.

Councillor Rick Owen said he would like the town to look at seizing the properties and demolishing them. 

"We have a responsibility to all ratepayers of Kirkland Lake. While it may cost the ratepayers money to tear these places down if the the owners are unwilling to do so, I think we owe it to the people who are there to keep them safe," he said.

Reg Newton has lived most of his life in Chaput Hughes, which he describes as a "ghetto" with a "bunch of dormant shacks" sprinkled among some well-kept newer homes. 

He was happy to hear council take the situation seriously. 

"I'm glad. I've been pursuing this for many years and finally I'm getting some results," said the 67-year-old. 

"It's discouraging, it's embarrassing. Like why hasn't it been addressed before? It's been mentioned before. But I think finally they've come to see that yeah, something has to be done." 

Newton agrees that tearing down some of the abandoned buildings is the best solution and thinks other parts of the north dealing with derelict properties should look at doing the same.

"This stuff should be tidied up and cleaned up. This shouldn't go on," he said.