Province deems apartment complex in Alberton unsafe after fire

Provincial officials have stepped in to address an apartment building in Alberton, PEI, that was damaged fire a week ago.

The converted former motel, located on Church Street, has been declared dangerous and unsafe by the province, which has ordered the owner to repair or demolish it.

A former resident told CBC he continued to live in his apartment for a while after the fire, even though there was no electricity or heat.

The fire displaced ten residents. No one lived there on Thursday afternoon.

Lynne St Denis had plans to help her son move into the apartment building, but the fire happened before she could do so.

“Right now the housing market is desperate. People who are below the middle income have nowhere to go. So this was the last resort for a lot of people,” she said.

The building is owned by the M Property Management Group, a company outside the province. Before the province issued the hazardous premises order, the owners had emailed CBC to say they were working on repairs to the building.

“Our primary goal is to get most residents back into the building as quickly as possible,” the email said.

CBC reached out for comment after the order was issued but received no response.

Alberton officials say the property has been a problem for years and the city has issued cleanup orders in the past.

“We want to make sure they don’t bring people back to a place that is not livable. We are concerned that the quality of life is not up to standards and we hope that the manager will take this opportunity to rebuild and improve the house. it’s OK,” said Donna Thomson, Alberton’s CAO.

The order requires the building to be boarded up and “Do Not Enter” signs posted on all doors. A report detailing all the building’s deficiencies has been passed on to the owners and provincial officials say immediate action is required.