City Says 21 John Street South Not “An Imminent Risk of Collapse”

The City of Hamilton’s Chief Building Official’s office says “the health and safety of Hamilton residents is our top priority” and they are monitoring the long-vacant building at 21 John Street South.

The City states that BJP Properties Inc. “is taking appropriate steps to brace the exterior walls, based on recommendations within a recent Professional Engineers Report provided by the owner” and that the building is “not an imminent risk of collapse.”

The comments follow Wednesday’s lack of quorum by the City of Hamilton’s Property Standards Committee and the resulting minimum one-month delay before the City can enforce orders requiring Brad Lamb’s BJL Properties Inc. to enclose and secure the property.

BJL Properties Inc. declined to comment.

Following the cancelled meeting, TPR asked Hamilton’s Chief Building Official Robert Lalli three questions by email.

• Is 21 John Street South structurally safe? Specifically, can you guarantee the building will not experience any loss of materials such as bricks or other materials falling onto the public sidewalk?
• How often are City inspectors conducting checks on this building, and what steps are in place to ensure an inspection will prevent structural collapse?
• What powers, if any, does the City of Hamilton have during the ongoing appeal, to ensure the stability of this structure?

The City Manager’s Office responded with a statement that they requested to be “attributed to the City of Hamilton more broadly.”

“The health and safety of Hamilton residents is our top priority. The City of Hamilton is ensuring action is taken to restrict access to the building and that the owner is taking appropriate steps to brace the exterior walls, based on recommendations within a recent Professional Engineers Report provided by the owner. Though the Professional Engineers Report cites the building is not an imminent risk of collapse, City staff take this matter very seriously and will continue to monitor the owner’s progress in addressing these matters, and should they not be addressed in a timely fashion, the City will take the necessary steps including the issuing of an additional Order to ensure compliance.

The City remains focused on the property owner’s completion of the work identified through the Professional Engineer’s Report, while we await an anticipated Property Standards hearing, for items referenced in the Property Standards Order.”

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Published: March 6, 2025
Last updated: March 6, 2025
Author: Joey Coleman

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