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A neighbour of one of Penticton’s most notorious homes is back before council next week to lobby the city to take faster action on what he calls a deteriorating situation.
Matt Taylor is the owner of the small apartment building next to 377 Winnipeg St., a home that’s been drawing the ire of community watch groups for well over a year.
“Since the City of Penticton has cut power and possibly other services to 377 Winnipeg, there has been a significant increase in unacceptable behaviour,” Taylor writes in a letter to council.
He outlines increases in drug use and paraphernalia and “sleepers” in the apartment building and its parking lot.
“These individuals are not drawn to the area surrounding Winnipeg and Wade by numerous seniors homes in the vicinity, or a fire hall less than a block away,” he said. “They are drawn by the access to drugs or cheap accommodation.”
Taylor says the occupants of the homes are relying on kerosene heaters and gas generators. He said Council appears to be “increasingly complicit to the problem and responsible for allowing it to continue.”
Castanet News has also received multiple separate complaints from nearby residents in recent weeks about the deteriorating situation at the home.
City of Penticton bylaw manager Tina Siebert confirmed Thursday they have cut off power to the home.
“Bylaw, RCMP and PFD are collaborating efforts to increase enforcement options since ticketing has been unsuccessful with the property owner and tenants,” she said in an email.
She said the property was declared a “nuisance” in December 2017 under newly adopted bylaws on the issue. Under the new bylaws, the city has the ability to charge property owners for excess calls to police, fire and bylaw.
“If the nuisance fees are not collected through invoicing, we will be proceeding through taxes,” Siebert said. "Property owners must be diligent and accountable with who they chose to rent their property to."
377 Winnipeg is owned by Malvinder Singh Randhawa. In October, the land title had three judgements against it and one certificate of pending litigation. Randhawa also owns the Three Gables building on Martin St., which was partially condemned in 2014 due to public safety concerns.
