September 8 , 2020
I share the anxiety and concern of the community with recent fires in Vanier.
I am thankful to Ottawa Fire for their quick response to these incidents.
I, like most in our community, want to ensure residents that are effected are supported, but also that property owners are doing their due diligence in securing their properties and preventing these incidents, to the greatest extent possible.
Over the past several months and even years, I have reached out to several of these affected property owners to offer City support in rebuilding their sites. I remain frustrated with the inaction and limited availability of City tools to force owners to take action to improve their properties.
Vacant buildings in our community are an eye-sore and we have seen some vacant buildings targeted by recent fires. From this day forward, I will be sharing publicly the name of the ownership of vacant buildings that have been affected by fires.
This action is meant keep owners accountable in our community.
In my communications with Ottawa Fire and the Ottawa Police, they have indicated that there is no evidence to suggest that the 2017 arsonist is back in the community. Regardless of this, the Ottawa Police and Ottawa Fire Services need to be transparent with their investigations and keep the community engaged and informed.
Investigators must work with the community to build trust and complete thorough and effective investigations at each of these sites to get the source of these issues.
Let’s collaborate and work together to ensure safe community for all.