City by-laws have little bite. He will get a court injunction. Wait and see. Old is old and probably won't be capable of finishing. The big problem is the city. It isn't the issue of where he is coming from when he takes so long. Why can't he get a contractor? Living in River Heights is like living in Bridle Path, Toronto. Maybe not in value but certainly in asthetic quality.

So who is this guy? What's his name? that's the trouble with city by-laws they have no teeth and it is too easy to extend or appeal or what ever. Doesn't Sam Katz live out that way? I'm surpised a neighbour hasn't kick it down.

So who is this guy and what does he do? That's the problem with city by-laws, they have no teeth. This guy can stall tell he is dead. I'm surprised one of his neighbours hasn't already gone over and kicked it down.

Unfortunately, it's likely the majority of the community's concern has to do with the comment about property values.

A renovation project that endangers bystanders is not acceptable, however the argument of 'safety concerns' has coincidentally become the rallying cry of gentrifiers.

The Parkdale community in west Toronto is a good analogy. Homes were abandoned in the 1940s, re-purposed by the poor, mentally ill, and immigrants, who carved out a sustainable community. Suburbanities in the 90s, intending to bring "beauty" and "stability" back to the neighbourhood, reacted to the disenfranchised sullying their 'neighbourhood investment' with adaptive reuse. By-laws were invoked against the less-than-ideal-habitation, aka rooming houses. The 2nd wave inhabitants are being forced out to make way for an aesthetically stable "family" environment.

While maintaining a property is good for everyone, the force of investment culture, guided by a morally narrow view of social (mis)behaviour, does not leave room for individuals systemically excluded from mainstream society to survive.

Notwithstanding the falling debris issue, the only legitimate focus for the Winnipeg neighbourhood, as long as this homeowner is not endangering others, how much of the criticism is actually about safety vs. aesthetic intolerance or imperialism?

The broader context is especially relevant because this distortion in ownership values is a driver of the housing bubble and housing affordability issues. So should our neighbourhoods be planned for speculative potential, or should home ownership reinforce self-determination and social stability? Both are not possible.

I bet he was almost done too.