GUYSBOROUGH – Fear of neighbour disputes, weak enforcement powers and uncertainty over when municipalities can intervene dominated discussion at the Municipality of the District of Guysborough (MODG) council meeting May 20 over dangerous and unsightly properties.
The issue was raised by District 6 Coun. Susan Cashin, who represents Larry’s River, New Harbour, Tor Bay, Charlos Cove, Cole Harbour, Port Felix and Whitehead, after receiving repeated complaints from residents frustrated by what they see as deteriorating and hazardous properties remaining unresolved for years.
“I want to know, what is our responsibility?” Cashin told council. “How much can we say, if you ‘don’t clean up your yard, then we’re going to clean it up for you?’”
Staff told councillors the municipality follows procedures laid out under Nova Scotia’s Municipal Government Act, with enforcement typically beginning only after a formal complaint is filed by a resident.
But several councillors said many residents are reluctant to make official complaints out of fear of conflict with neighbours.
“The problem is so many residents are scared to death,” Coun. Neil DeCoff said. “They are afraid of the person.”
Coun. Mary Desmond described one case in which debris from a deteriorating building allegedly struck a neighbouring vehicle.
“The windowsill flew out, hit the neighbour’s car, took out the back windshield,” she said, adding nearby residents fear additional debris could strike homes or people during high winds.
“They’re terrified. They don’t want to write the letter because, like Neil [DeCoff] says, they don’t want to cause a war or anything,” Desmond said.
The discussion exposed growing frustration among councillors over the limits of municipal authority, particularly in rural areas where derelict homes, abandoned vehicles and debris can remain for years despite repeated complaints.
Staff repeatedly distinguished between “dangerous” properties posing immediate safety risks and merely “unsightly” premises, which they said are often more difficult to enforce under existing provincial legislation.
Director of Public Works Glen Stirling said the municipality can move more quickly in cases involving immediate danger, such as structurally unsound buildings or flying debris, but acknowledged unsightly property cases are often far more difficult to resolve.
“It’s very, very difficult,” Stirling said, referring to legal constraints on municipal authority. “And I wish we had something that was stronger.”
He added that even when cleanup orders are issued, determining what material should be removed can become legally and practically complicated.
“What’s valuable and what’s not valuable? And that’s the issue that you’re going to face.”
Council also heard the municipality can, in some circumstances, recover cleanup costs by adding them to a property owner’s tax bill.
Coun. Hudson MacLeod raised concerns about properties containing dozens of abandoned vehicles, questioning why municipalities can regulate shipping containers but face difficulty dealing with vehicle accumulations.
“As long as you got tires on them,” MacLeod said, describing what residents have been told about enforcement limitations.
Stirling said some dangerous properties have ultimately been demolished after lengthy enforcement processes.
Still, council heard repeatedly that municipal action generally cannot begin until a formal complaint is filed.
“At the end of the day it does come down to a resident initiating a complaint,” Warden Paul Long said.
