City cleaning up garbage around Stadacona apartments

City crews were at the site of the Stadacona apartment building on Wednesday to clean up garbage around the courtyard. 

Several city vehicles could be seen around the building Wednesday morning as well as a backhoe around the back of the building. 

According to City Manager Maryse Carmichael, the city issued a clean-up order two weeks ago and did not receive a reply from the building owner in a timely fashion. 

“It’s really about the condition outside and ensuring that it’s clean and at the level we want to see all businesses in the downtown and the city,” Carmichael said. 

She added that they were cleaning up only the outside of the building.  

Carmichael said they expected that city crew would only be at the building on Wednesday as the cleanup shouldn’t take long. She noted that the cleanup will not be paid for by the city. 

“If we issue an order to remedy and it’s not done within the prescribed timelines, then the city can hire a contractor and then we bill the owner,” Carmichael said. 

She didn’t know the exact amount for the cleanup but didn’t think it would be a significant cost. 

The Stadacona apartment building has been empty since October when the city and the Moose Jaw Fire Department ordered an emergency evacuation due to a gas leak and multiple fire code violations. 

A few of the issues with the building included no working fire alarms or carbon monoxide alarms, the fire alarm pull stations were not functioning because the power was off, windows could not be opened, flooring on the fire escapes were deteriorating, suites did not have doors or locks and accumulation of combustibles were blocking emergency exits. 

The gas leak had built up inside the building to the point that the valve had to be shut off. 

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