BARRHEAD - It was a long process, but the County of Barrhead can finally take action on an unsightly property on Highway 651 near Lac La Nonne.
County manager Debbie Oyarzun told councillors during their Dec. 5 meeting that soon the municipality could start cleaning up the property that first got onto their radar following several complaints going back over a year and a half.
She said after giving the property's owner several unheeded cleanup notices, the municipality sought and received a court order requiring the owners to clean up the property through Court of Kings Bench.
"The reason we did it that way is that county taxpayers will not bear the cost for cleanup. Instead, [the cost] gets put on the landowner through the land title," Oyarzun said, adding that while the process is much longer, the municipality ultimately has a much lower risk.
She noted that after the county received the order, the property owner made a poor attempt to clean up part of the property by conducting a non-permitted burn.
Oyarzun told councillors if they receive complaints from area residents about someone " lighting fires and burning items they shouldn't be burning," they should be advising them to report it to authorities via 911.
"They can't just burn piles of garbage," she said. "They won't get a permit for that because it is unsafe, so the proper course of action is to call 911."
Later in the meeting, infrastructure director Ken Hove said that public works staff had started the cleanup process earlier in the day, adding that it was a big job but should be complete within two days.
Reeve Doug Drozd asked Hove if the public works staff had faced any hostility during the cleanup.
Hove replied, so far, no.
"But as a precaution, at no time will there be an operator or staff member alone there," he said, adding that a community peace officer would also be on-site during much of the cleanup.
Hove added that he did not foresee an issue as although there are residents on the property, they are just the tenants, and the owner has yet to be on-site.
Coun. Paul Properzi asked who determines if a property is unsightly.
Oyarzun said it is up to a community peace officer and their discretion.
"We do have an unsightly bylaw," she said, adding that the peace officer has guidelines which help them determine what is unsightly.
Coun. Walter Walter Preugschas asked for an update on what is happening at the old Camp Creek general store site on Highway 33.
Oyarzun added the municipality is undergoing a similar process to attempt to clean up the old Camp Creek general store site.
In November 2022, the county sent an invoice for fire services rendered by the Barrhead Regional Fire Services for reported grass fires on the property over the summer. The invoice was returned unopened.
Consequently, the county started to prepare an enforcement order, but at the Dec. 7, 2022 meeting, Oyarzun said they had hit a snag.
Specifically, a change to the Municipal Government Act that no longer allowed the municipality to add the cleanup to the property's tax roll.
Since then, the county has also started court proceedings.
"The process for that property is more complicated because of the ownership," Oyarzun said. "It has a whole other level of complication and legal matters."
Oyarzun added residents and councillors had to be patient as often these issues take time to resolve, especially if they don't want taxpayers to foot the bill for the cleanup.
"It is complicated. Every situation is different," she said. "What is it that we are cleaning up? Is it unsightly or unsafe? Who is the landowner, and can we reach them, those sorts of things."
