This Friday, September 30, marks the deadline for homeowners with destroyed properties to remove and lawfully dispose of structural ash and steel from their lots. The RMWB is issuing a reminder to those homeowners they have to have the permits needed for the work in hand and have begun the work to clean their property by Friday’s deadline or the Municipality will arrange for its contractors to complete the work on behalf of the homeowner.
To learn more about the permit application process you can visit the Demolition Permitting section of the Wildfire Recovery page on the RMWB website.
The Municipality issued demolition orders in July for all properties that were destroyed or were so severely damaged that they require demolition.
If your home was included in the orders you have to meet the deadline to remove all structural ash and steel from your lot so that people who have standing homes in the still-restricted areas of the community will be able to return to their homes.
If the Municipality is required to complete any clean-up work on behalf of a homeowner, it may choose to bill the costs to the homeowner or place the costs on the tax roll for the property.
Understanding that some residents may have encountered delays in their plans, the Municipality will allow extra time if work has started. Specifically, if there is evidence of stockpiling and removal of steel on the property on September 30, the Municipality will assume that clean-up has started and will only take steps to complete the work if clean up remains unfinished by October 17.
Owners are urged to contact their insurance representative to formalize the details of their cleanup if they haven’t already.
If you are underinsured or do not have insurance you are asked to contact the Canadian Red Cross at 1-888-553-5505 for assistance or visit their office at the Future Forward Building on Franklin Avenue. The deadline to apply for help with debris removal is Friday and you are urged to call to ask about this assistance.
Owners should also confirm completion dates with their contractor to make sure the Municipality’s deadlines are met.
For more information about demolition and clean-up of properties, visit the Rebuilding the Community section of the Wildfire Recovery website at www.rmwb.ca/demolition.
