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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Tenants have been cleared from a city-owned building due to mould, mice and other health and safety issues less than a year after the city purchased three downtown properties for $975,000.

The Instaloans store on 50 Street, which occupies a building owned by the city, has vacated the premises because of mice and mould problems. - Simon Whitehouse/NNSL photo

Three employees of the Instaloans store vacated the premises early this month and are currently working out of the nearby Cash Store, which is owned by the same company, Cash Store Financial.

City staff first received a complaint from the tenants on Oct. 24, after which a building inspector visited the site the same day, according to city staff. The Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC) was contacted and began investigating the next day. A report was given to the city stating four major safety issues that must dealt with by this Friday. They include investigating mould on the property, replacing or improving emergency lighting, ensuring the air conditioner filter is properly fitted and creating a rodent-control program.

The Instaloans property on 50 Street, along with the next-door food establishment Corner Mart Pizza Chinese Food and Convenience Store and a parking lot, were purchased by the city last January as part of a downtown revitalization project. The city paid $390,000 for the Instaloans property. Much of the municipal election focused on downtown revitalization, which should make this latest problem a priority for council, said Mayor Mark Heyck.

"I would say this will accelerate our thinking in terms of what we are going to do with these parcels of land and it is a matter of the new council having the opportunity to discuss and put forward the priorities that they see for the downtown," said Heyck.

Heyck said it is not rare to have mice in these older types of buildings.

"Mice are common in older buildings and it is not unusual for these kinds of things to surface," he said.

Several city councillors declined to comment when contacted by News/North because the matter is being discussed in-camera, meaning the discussions cannot be disclosed to the public.

A few signs on the entrance of the property state the Instaloans office will be closed until the end of the month.

"The city, along with the WSCC, has been doing some site investigations and in that process, the current tenants of the building have decided to move across the street," said Jeff Humble, city director of planning and development.

The city has so far only found a few dead mice and some droppings, and it is hard to determine the extent of the rodent invasion beyond that, said Humble. The area being inspected includes the basement, which is not utilized, and the upstairs business section.

Michael Thompson, senior vice-president of corporate affairs for Cash Store, said the staff were moved to the Cash Store for their safety.

"We made a determination that it was in the best interest of our staff to move them from that location, which we have done and the city is aware that we have done this," said Thompson. "It is our expectation that the city is going to make a decision about what they are going to do at the location within the next week or so."

As to when he expects the employees to return, Thompson said it might never happen.

"We want our employees to be working in a safe environment, so if it is deemed that the site is not safe, we are not going to put them back in there," he said. "I understand the city is considering whether or not they are going to demolish that site and we will deal with that when we cross that bridge."

City spokesperson Nalini Naidoo said the question of razing the building will be up to council to decide.

The city is uncertain what financial costs might be associated with making improvements but there will "absolutely" be costs and it will be based on council's decision, said Naidoo.

The new safety issues add to unexpected challenges that have arisen since January's purchase. Last April, about 2,200 litres of diesel fuel spilled from the fuel tank behind the Instaloans. The tank was then replaced and some excavation work was done on the site to clean up the spill that had spread underneath CornerMart. The city maintains this issue has been dealt with in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, although monitoring still continues.

"We are not typically a landlord," said Humble. "We got into these properties for revitalization purposes and that is still our objective.