North Cowichan Council has issued remediation orders for three derelict buildings on York Road, requiring the owners to either clean up or demolish their buildings. The properties at 5825 and 5827 York Road (formerly the Good Neighbours Thrift Shop) and 5861 and 5865 York Road (residential houses) were declared nuisance properties, due to unsafe and hazardous conditions.
The houses at 5861 and 5865 York Road were issued a remediation order to have the buildings demolished on August 20, however a representative of the property owner requested that Council reconsider the order due to extenuating circumstances. Council upheld the order at the September 17, 2025 Council meeting. Earlier this week the house at 5865 York Road sustained extensive fire damage. Both houses have been boarded up to discourage ongoing problems with squatters. The remedial action order requires the property owner to apply for a demolition permit within 60 days, and that the structures be demolished within 90 days of the permits’ issuance.
The building at 5825 and 5827 York Road (Good Neighbours Thrift Store) sustained extensive fire damage on February 10, 2024. Since then North Cowichan staff have been in ongoing discussions with the property owner regarding the condition of the remaining structure. Earlier this year North Cowichan requested that the owner remove the fencing around the building in order to restore use of the sidewalk. The remediation order requires that the owner obtain an engineering report on the structural integrity of the front-facing wall, and that they clean up and remediate the front facing portion of the building within 90 days.
Municipalities have the authority under the Community Charter to require that property owners take remedial action should a property be determined to be or create an unsafe condition, or when a property is declared to be a nuisance because the structure is so dilapidated or unclean as to be offensive to the community.
Photos: