A construction and rental housing firm that demolished a house with asbestos inside will pay a total of $3,000 in penalties for the late November incident.

Singla Bros. Holdings Ltd. was denied its $500 safety deposit from the City of Penticton, according to building and permitting manager Ken Kunka, but more recently the firm was handed a $2,500 fine from WorkSafeBC.

91裸聊视频淎 large rubble pile was covered by tarps, and there was spilled vermiculite insulation in several areas of the pile,91裸聊视频� says the WorkSafeBC report posted on its website on Aug. 7.

91裸聊视频淭he hazardous materials assessment conducted for the site had identified the vermiculite as being an asbestos-containing material. The firm91裸聊视频檚 failure to safely contain hazardous materials was a high-risk violation.91裸聊视频�

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The firm was initially caught in the act, after it attempted to bring materials from a demolition at 242 Van Horne St. to the Campbell Mountain garbage dump, but was determined not to have followed the city91裸聊视频檚 orders at the time.

Singla Bros. Holdings had obtained a demolition permit from the city, which had expired by the time demolitions began. On the permit was an order to properly remove the asbestos before destruction.

On Dec. 1, a WorkSafeBC report issued a stop work order, due to 91裸聊视频渞easonable grounds to believe there is a high risk of serious injury, serious illness or death to a worker at this workplace,91裸聊视频� according to a report at the time.

By Dec. 16, the WorkSafe inspector was satisfied that abatement had been completed.

Asked for comment on WorkSafeBC91裸聊视频檚 reasoning for the amount in the fine a spokesperson pointed to their website, which indicates a balance of the severity of the violation, the company91裸聊视频檚 history of violations and the size of the company91裸聊视频檚 payroll.

91裸聊视频淧enalties can be greater if certain specific factors are present, such as for high-risk or intentional violations, or if the company has received a prior penalty for substantially the same violation in the past three years.91裸聊视频�

Asked if he felt the fine fit the violation, Kunka said he was satisfied with WorkSafeBC91裸聊视频檚 decision. Singla Bros. gave a brief email statement on the issue.

91裸聊视频淲e are working with WorkSafeBC with any projects we have now or in the future. No other comment at this time.91裸聊视频�

Kunka said he is aware of other projects that Singla Bros. Holdings has gotten to work on since the incident, adding that the city is hoping to build up trust with the firm.

A new city bylaw

At the time, Kunka said the city was looking at ways to mitigate the risks of similar incidents in the future. In an interview this week, Kunka told the Western News they91裸聊视频檙e currently working on a rewrite of the buildings bylaw, which could clean up the language, among other things.

In the new regulations, Kunka says rather than issuing a permit with an order to remove hazardous materials, the city will withhold permits until they91裸聊视频檝e received proof that abatement is either unnecessary or finished if the building is older than 1992.

91裸聊视频淏ased on this and another one kind of on the edge of non-compliance, we decided we would be a little more rigorous on the front-end stuff, regarding the paperwork and the remediation,91裸聊视频� Kunka said.

91裸聊视频淭hat will be our mantra from now on: if it91裸聊视频檚 an old building, get the hazard assessment done, you deal with your abatement issues, and then you can come to us and we can move through the demolition process.91裸聊视频�

The other incident involved a firm that began demolishing a building before getting the go-ahead from the city.

The new regulations get a bit more complicated when it comes to work being done involving evictions to renovate, which require proof of a demolition permit to legally evict.

In a sort of workaround, the city is looking to enter contractual agreements that the city will provide a demolition permit, providing some paperwork proving the intent of eviction is for a cause, but also avoiding handing out the actual permit before demolitions.

91裸聊视频淧robably two out of 10 demolition permits revolve around renters and ensuring that that process is followed properly,91裸聊视频� Kunka said, acknowledging the process could incur some confusion.

91裸聊视频淭he more steps you add, the more confusing you get. We91裸聊视频檝e actually been working on a checklist or kind of a flowchart, so, again, somebody asking about a demolition permit, they can actually follow this flowchart.91裸聊视频�

That91裸聊视频檚 part of the key to avoiding issues in the first place 91裸聊视频� education. Kunka said the city would rather inform and avoid issues than have to impose penalties after, adding that the city is looking to hold some events with developers to ramp up knowledge of the proper processes.

91裸聊视频淲e want to make sure people are aware of the rules. We can help them through that process. We figure in the way we were laying it out now, it91裸聊视频檚 going to be a really 91裸聊视频� clear process,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淎s long as they91裸聊视频檙e following the rules, everybody91裸聊视频檚 protected, and things move quickly.91裸聊视频�

dustin.godfrey@pentictonwesternnews.com
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