City to consider raising vacant building fines after Gore Park collapse last year

An interim report on a row of historic buildings that collapsed near Gore Park last November has been added to this week’s agenda at City Hall.

The city will be considering raising fines for non-compliance with vacant building bylaws and building department orders.

In November 2024, a row of four heritage buildings was demolished after two partially collapsed into the sidewalk mere hours before a Remembrance Day ceremony. In the weeks following, two more adjoining units were found to be in “imminent danger” of crumbling.

The historic row dated back to the mid-1800’s, but sat vacant for over a decade and had a history of bylaw violations.

The buildings’ owner, development consortium Hughson Business Space Corporation, told CHCH News that they conducted “regular engineering reports” on the property, which showed “no signs of imminent collapse.” Nevertheless, the decaying buildings were torn down, leaving Gore Park with a notable gap in its iconic landscape.

Currently, there are 122 vacant buildings across Hamilton that remain unregistered with the city despite notification.

“Whatever was in place, hasn’t worked,” Mayor Andrea Horwath said following the collapse.

“Heritage buildings are being lost. It takes years and years and years of neglect and access to the elements that allow this to happen.”

According to the latest report, gaps were found in the city’s communication and enforcement process – including inconsistent follow-up with the owners.

While the report concluded that Hamilton’s bylaws are strong, its primary concern is with their enforcement and how violations are penalized.

READ MORE: No one injured after building collapse in Hamilton’s Gore Park