Police and by-law officers in Sault Ste. Marie have completed one of their largest coordinated operations to date, inspecting dozens of vacant downtown properties to ensure they were properly secured. The initiative was conducted by the Integrated Municipal Enforcement Team, a partnership between the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service and city by-law enforcement, established in 2020. During the operation on Nov. 19, 40 vacant properties with prior by-law violation notices were inspected. Five of the boarded-up properties required a contractor to re-secure them to prevent unlawful entry. “Although there was evidence of people unlawfully dwelling inside the five vacant properties cleared by officers, no one was located inside at the time,” the police service said in a news release. Officers entered some properties to ensure by-law officials could safely work. “Our members did have to go into a couple of residences to ensure that nobody was inside to make sure bylaw could do what they needed to do,” said Sault police spokesperson Lincoln Louttit. “Again, it’s really just to make sure that vacant properties are secured or they are adhering to previous bylaw conditions that our local bylaw officers have put in place.” Louttit added that no one was displaced during this initiative. Aiming to mitigate risks of unlawful occupancy The operation focused on addressing safety concerns stemming from unsecured buildings. Police were on hand for security, while by-law officials ensured the buildings had proper locks and sealed windows. Sault Ste. Marie Mayor Matthew Shoemaker said the proactive work is necessary to prevent people from living in dangerous conditions. “We’ve seen that in the past. People living in boarded up buildings, often time creates a risk to that property, to the people living in there and to the neighboring properties,” Shoemaker said. “So good to see that bylaw and police are working together to make sure that boarded up buildings remain inaccessible and remain vacant.” Police said measures are intended to ensure people are not entering unsafe structures, reduce illegal activity associated with vacant properties and support the city’s efforts to maintain safe and secure neighbourhoods.
