Harbour Grace to ask Fire Commissioner to look at derelict building

By Mark Squibb / July 21, 2023

Depending on how far back your memory goes, you may remember when 1 Harvey Street in Harbour Grace was a Canadian Tire store. For years afterwards it was an Auto Centre. But for the last decade or so, the building has sat abandoned, growing more forlorn with each passing season.

Mayor Don Coombs wants to see the old building, which is at best an eyesore and at worst a danger, cleaned up.

During this June’s public council meeting, Coombs said that he and Town Manager Amy Dwyer had recently met with the Fire Commissioner to discuss means of acquiring new equipment for the fire department.  Coombs said he would like to ask the commissioner to come out and meet with council and visit the site to give further direction on how to clean up the property.

“I would like to ask the Fire Commissioner’s Office to come out, because we’ve already tried everything, and I found him to be a very professional individual, and his department holds a lot of weight with the Department of Justice,” said Coombs.  “We’ve been talking about this, not two years, not three years, but 10 years.”

Councillor Terry Barnes moved, and councillor Lee Rodgers seconded a motion to do just that. It passed unanimously.