‘How did we get here’: Mayor Horwath makes motion to study building collapses

After the demolition – and collapse – of several historic buildings in the city, Hamilton’s General Issues Committee has approved a motion that will require city staff to study recent activities.

Two buildings collapsed on Remembrance Day, sending rubble to the sidewalk near Gore Park. No one was injured.

Since then, two more buildings have been demolished, all of them dating back to the mid-1800’s.

On Wednesday, Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath brought forward a motion that she hopes will answer some of the questions people seem to be asking about these incidents, and will prevent the loss of more city history.

“This is not small stuff, this is really, really big stuff, and it could literally take people’s lives,” Horwath said Wednesday.

“How did we get here, how can we fix it so we can stop this from happening again.”

When asked about the city’s involvement in determining the structural integrity of buildings, acting chief building official told city staff they rely on engineering reports. But, they verify those by going on site to see how accurate the report is.

The owner of the Gore Park buildings, Hughson Business Space Corporation, told CHCH News in statement last week their regular engineering reports on the property showed no signs of imminent collapse.

“Whatever was in place, hasn’t worked,” Horwath said.

“And as a result, heritage buildings are being lost. It takes years and years and years of neglect and access to the elements that allow this to happen. Why? Why did this access to the elements happen? I don’t have the answer, and that’s what the motion is trying to do.”