Appeal made on St. Catharines’ orders for cleanup of former GM site

The owners of the site of the former General Motors auto parts plant have filed an appeal in response to orders from the City of St. Catharines to either repair, replace or demolish the buildings.

The owners, listed in the orders as a numbered company, were directed by the city last month to repair, replace or board all openings of the building to prevent unauthorized entry and remove or repair damaged and unstable ceiling materials inside.

The city informed Global News in an email Monday that the orders had been appealed and that meetings of the property standards appeal committee had been set for June 25.

“No further action can occur until this appeal is heard,” said Scott Rosts, corporate communications manager for the city.

The orders were made for 282 and 285 Ontario St., the location of the former GM site, after Mayor Mat Siscoe said the city received a number of complaints related to one of the properties.

At the time, Siscoe said the orders wouldn’t resolve issues that have revolved around redevelopment at the site, but he hoped it would “serve as the starting point for a constructive path forward.”

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Otherwise, the city suggested the owners can seek to demolish the buildings.

The plan for the site was originally for BayShore Groups to redevelop it into a retirement community that included a trade school, a residence and biking or hiking trails along Twelve Mile Creek. But first the company said it would auction off equipment from the property before clearing it for demolition by 2015.

Since being announced in 2014, there has been little movement on construction and in 2020, the city said it had heard of “serious concerns” from residents about property standards and potential environmental standards.

The city has taken legal action against the numbered corporation, listed as 2390541 Ontario Inc., over Building Code Act and City Waste bylaw charges. The corporation pleaded guilty in provincial court in January 2022 to a total of 12 charges under the Building Code Act and waste bylaw. It was fined $60,000. The numbered corporation that faced charges is the same one listed in the orders by the city.

When the orders were first made, the city said the owners of the property could face monetary penalties or prosecution under the Provincial Offences Act if they did not comply with the orders.

Action has also been taken at the provincial level, with St. Catharines NDP MPP Jennie Stevens tabling a motion last month for the province to ensure the site is cleaned up.

Stevens said Tuesday she will be monitoring the appeal committee meeting to see what members say.

“The decision to appeal the City’s orders is disappointing,” she wrote in an email. “The very fact that an appeal has been filed suggests a resistance to acknowledging the seriousness of the site’s condition and the need for meaningful remediation.”

Environment, Conservation and Parks Minister Todd McCarthy said last month that his ministry’s enforcement and investigation branch may launch an investigation.

The hearing surrounding the order will be open to the public and held in the city’s council chambers at city hall.