By Brian Dagenais. Owner of 227-229 and 231-233 St. Patrick Street
Firstly, I want to recognize that three buildings on St. Patrick near the corner of Dalhousie have created a lot of controversy over the past couple of years in the community and city-wide over much of this year, gaining more attention in recent weeks via a CBC documentary-style story. The story focused on the City of Ottawa’s Housing Department and its absentee-style of management and undeniable disdain not only for their own clients but for the community at large.
Perhaps the following apology rings hollow but it is genuine . . . If I ever thought for even a second that allowing the city to house their clients at St. Patrick Street would result in this sort of chaos, I never would have considered it. I was naïve to expect that the city and its agencies would properly support the clients to whom I rented homes. I was naïve to expect the city to exercise authority over these agencies when problems began to grow and for that, I apologize to the community. If you can’t rely on the city to make the right decision, I want you to be able to rely on me and clearly, I let you down.
Over the past four years or so, I have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on mortgage payments, more than $250,000 on repairs to maintain the structures, and more than $100,000 on utilities. I’ve also spent more than $200,000 on insurance and property taxes combined. I have spent the better part of three years, talking, discussing, pleading, and arguing with the Heritage department over these buildings. I hired a heritage consultant more than a year ago and he produced a 75-page report on the properties and their history – a report, I might add, that was reviewed by a heritage engineer who described the report as excellent and very well done.
Add it all up and I’m well past $1,000,000 spent maintaining things.
What we have offered to construct at St. Patrick is three new buildings each with eight units for a total of 24 new homes. We have proposed to construct in a style that blends in with the current character of the neighbourhood. We have asked Heritage at the city to provide suggestions and input with respect to the façades of the new buildings many times and as of this writing, they have provided none.
So, with that in mind, I would like to ask for your help. If you have ideas and suggestions as to the style and look of a rebuild on St. Patrick, please reach out. I’m happy to speak to you. The status quo cannot continue. I cannot promise I will incorporate your ideas, but I will do everything I can to consider them and show them the respect they deserve.