New framework will allow municipalities to deal with derelict buildings
March 17, 2025, 1:53 pm
Ryan Kiedrowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The government of Saskatchewan is developing a pilot framework that would allow participating municipalities to work with volunteer fire departments to safely dispose of problem, municipal-owned structures for fire fighter training exercises.
Speaking at the 120th Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities convention in Saskatoon last week, provincial Environment Minister Travis Keisig expressed the importance of removing derelict buildings.
“Abandoned and derelict buildings pose both public safety and economic issues for municipalities,” he said. “Furthermore, they are not only an eyesore, they are also hindering redevelopment and posing health and safety hazards,including rodents, vandalization and potential fire risks.
Municipalities have raised concerns about the financial burdens and safety risks of managing these structures. This program we are offering is another avenue for municipalities to address the derelict buildings and mitigate the impacts on human health and the environment.”
The pilot project is set to begin this fall, allowing participating municipalities to work with their volunteer fire department to safely dispose of problem buildings. Affected structures would be those owned by the municipalities and allow for more realistic structure fire training for firefighters.
“It will provide municipalities with an alternative way to dispose of these buildings,” Keisig explained. “Municipalities have the autonomy in making the best decisions for derelict buildings, in addressing both the public safety and economic viability for their communities. This project will be a great example of collaboration that benefits many communities in addressing the long standing concerns about derelict buildings.”
The announcement last Tuesday was a response to feedback from SARM and SUMA (Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association) directed toward the government on the issue.
“Today’s announcement is a response to specific conversations that we’ve had with delegates from SARM and SUMA requesting the ability to address these issues at the local level through their local government, and we feel that they are best suited to be able to address these issues affecting their local communities,” said Eric Schmalz, Government Relations Minister.
Work on the voluntary derelict buildings plan is set to begin soon.
“During the spring legislative session, the government of Saskatchewan will address any regulatory or legislative changes required to support this pilot pathway,” Keisig said. “This is a very positive step to reduce derelict buildings in all of our communities, and we look forward to hearing comments and feedback from all stakeholders. We will always continue to work with municipalities all across our province.”
Bill Huber, SARM’s president, was pleased with the news, adding that he’s looking forward to working with the provincial government in designing a plan.
“On behalf of SARM, we’re pleased that the provincial government is initiating a program, just to assist rural municipalities in this effort to clean up some of these derelict buildings,” he said. “We want to make Saskatchewan a better place, a cleaner place, and a more attractive place to attract new homes and new families into rural communities—especially our municipalities. So by being able to remove some of these derelict buildings in a safe, efficient manner, I think that means a lot to our residents in Saskatchewan.”
Huber also stressed the safety component of the plan and how important the training opportunities are for local firefighters.
“Another thing is it’s a safety thing, too, for newly trained firefighters where they can come in and actually get some training on site where there isn’t any life or anything at risk,” he explained. “So something like that is very beneficial. We look forward to working with the ministry in the future months ahead.”
Echoing Huber’s comments, SUMA president Randy Goulden was equally excited with the announcement.
“This is about providing communities across this province with a really great place to live and more importantly, to be able to generate jobs and economic development so that we can thrive in this beautiful province that we have,” he said.
The proposed framework for dealing with derelict buildings doesn’t apply to all abandoned structures, just those that the municipality owns.
“Our initiative here is we’re not stepping into property that’s owned by individuals,” Huber clarified. “We’re more concerned about the properties that are in tax arrears that the municipalities have to take back because they’re not owned by anybody else. So we don’t want to have those old abandoned yards left there with an old house or something, we want to make sure that stuff gets cleaned up.”
RM of Rocanville Reeve Melissa Ruhland sees the framework as a positive idea.
“I’m sure there are some buildings that will fall under the derelict building qualifications in our RM,” she said. “It will be good to have a cost-effective option to remove those buildings that are falling down or infested with pests.”
Obviously, not every abandoned building will automatically be targeted for removal.
“Small hamlets and villages will definitely welcome this development,” Ruhland said. “Hopefully, the training opportunity for the fire department and the ability to take care of problematic buildings will benefit those communities.”
Training important for firefighters
The opportunity to train in a staged scenario before an emergency situation is very important for firefighters, especially those on rural volunteer departments who may not have the chance to otherwise gain such experience.
“We can tell you today that volunteer firefighters in Saskatchewan, their first fire is a live fire, and that’s the wrong way to go about it,” said Louis Cherpin, president of the Saskatchewan Volunteer Firefighters Association. “We believe in training first to make it better so you can get into the fire and do it properly. So this is a great thing.”
Cost is another factor Cherpin pointed to, explaining how traditional training on practice burn properties can be pricey.
“There’s a lot of buildings out there, and right now it’s cost prohibitive for the fire departments to go rip the shingles off, get rid of the asbestos, check for paint, all that kind of stuff, make it ready for a fire department to use over and over and over again until it’s ready to burn,” he said. “This announcement, allowing us, the rural fire departments, to be able to go in and use this building without the costs associated with it is a fantastic thing, and I appreciate that.”
Ultimately, time and distance are the biggest factors for rural fire departments—plus how much water you can bring on scene.
“When we have to travel to a rural fire, let’s be honest, the rural community is getting smaller and smaller,” Cherpin said. “There’s the same amount of land, but the amount of people that own it is getting smaller and smaller, so we have to travel further and further to get to the fires. With that distance to travel, it’s more about protection of the outside buildings and allowing that certain building to burn, and then protecting the assets of the other buildings.
“Another thing is, when we roll to a fire, we’re rolling with 1,500 to 2,000 gallons, and a typical fire takes 15,000 to 20,000 gallons of water to put out. We can’t bring enough water to put out that asset. When you’re inside the community, you got time on your side and water on your side.”
Faded history
For some people, the loss of old buildings is bittersweet, akin to saying goodbye to a friend. Chris Attrell is a Shaunavon-based photographer who has documented hundreds if not thousands of abandoned buildings across western Canada.
“We’re going to be sad to see those buildings go, because they’re wonderful to photograph,” he said. “They’ve got great history. On the other hand, you do know that it’s for the benefit of the town. Some towns are going to benefit greatly by this, by getting rid a lot of their ugly buildings.”
He notes that some RMs have already proceeded with cleaning up abandoned buildings, but this new framework might “speed up the process.”
For photographers like Attrell, the images they collect document history, telling that Saskatchewan story for future generations. Just as historians admire the nearly 10,000 slides gathered in the Everett Baker Collection that captured life in Saskatchewan from the 1940s through the 1960s, documenting the past is the motivation.
“One benefit is I’ll have a large collection of buildings that I shot that don’t exist anymore,” Attrell said. He’s already nailed that claim to fame, starting with the his books Forgotten Saskatchewan (2019) and Grain Elevators: Beacons on the Prairies (2021).
“There’s also the issue of restoring them,” Attrell said. “It’s really expensive to restore a lot of these old buildings. If you’re going to invest $100,000 just to restore it, it’s got to have some ability to recover that money. In most cases, that’s just not going to happen.”
