SASKATOON — The Saskatoon Fire Department is moving forward with the demolition of the former Continental Hotel, located at 314 - 2nd Ave. in South Downtown. The demolition of the building began Wednesday after the SFD issued a demolition order in February this year.
“The structure is not being maintained by Bylaw 8175, the Property Maintenance and Nuisance Abatement for the City of Saskatoon and it constitutes an immediate risk to the life and safety of people in the neighbourhood as well as safety of the nearby property. Further, the property owner has failed to remedy this risk over multiple years,” states in the demolition order.
The owner was directed to immediately fence off the adjacent sidewalk or parking/driving lanes; apply for a demolition permit by Feb. 28; disconnect utility services by Feb. 28; apply to have utility services abandoned/retired by March 15; have the appropriate utility company abandon/retire utility services by April 15; demolish the structure by April 15 (an extension until April 22 was provided); and clear the site of rubble, debris or refuse by Aug. 31.
The structure, as of Tuesday, April 26, was still standing with imminent risk and safety concerns.
“We respect the owner’s wishes of wanting to preserve remnants of the building, but we also must ensure public safety. The building is beyond repair. It is currently at risk of a partial or full collapse, which is a significant safety risk. The cost to restore its structural integrity exceeds the replacement cost of the structure, which means demolition is the final and only reasonable course of action,” said Assistant Chief Yvonne Raymer.
SFD has had a long history with the building dating back to 2002.
- 2002 – The fire inspector at the time identified the interior of the building was dismantled and there were significant structural concerns.
- 2015 – An engineering inspection reported repairs would put the building into a temporary state of “stable condition,” but a permanent plan was deemed necessary.
- 2016 – The SFD did not receive a permanent rehabilitation plan. With no plan in place, SFD was obligated to issue an order in October 2016 requiring another structural assessment with a permanent plan for the structure.
- 2018 – A second engineering assessment occurred in January 2018 confirming the building required repairs to keep the structure stable in the short term but required a reassessment every three months to monitor its stability. SFD received no further engineering assessments from the owner.
- 2020 – On Jan. 17, SFD issued a demolition order and after that date worked with the property owner and Building Standards to allow the owner a demolition permit.
In more recent years, the SFD has become increasingly concerned about hazards to the public, firefighters or other emergency personnel.
- 2018 – A firefighter experienced a dangerous near miss when responding to a fire inside the building. The firefighter almost fell into the basement through a hole on the main floor, which was the result of temporary work done to the structure.
- 2020 – A caller to 911 reported loose bricks falling from the exterior of the building, nearly hitting a cyclist on the ground roughly three stories below. A temporary repair was put in place by an engineer to prevent the bricks from falling.
The SFD is aware of the building’s history and past discoveries of historical interest related to the property, however, 314 - 2nd Ave. S. is not included on the Saskatoon Register of Historic Places.
The building is being demolished through the SFD Demolition and Property Remediation Process. SFD is hiring a contractor to complete the demolition.
Costs incurred by the demolition will be charged back to the property taxes.
