No Outstanding Property Orders Remain at 32-36 Tiffany Street

The City of Hamilton states there are no outstanding property standards orders remaining at 32–36 Tiffany Street, just north of Barton Street.

Municipal bylaw enforcement officers had visited the property on May 27, 2026, and issued orders requiring the removal of graffiti and the cutting of long grass and weeds.

The day after those orders were issued, on May 28, 2026, a suspicious fire erupted in the late evening and completely engulfed a 50-foot-by-20-foot trailer stored on the property. The Hamilton Police Service and the Ontario Fire Marshal continue to investigate the cause of the blaze.

The City of Hamilton confirmed on June 8, 2026, that a follow-up inspection showed all outstanding property standards orders have been resolved. The City said no property standards orders have been issued for the neighbouring vacant lands at 271 Bay Street North and 107 Stuart Street.

A close-up shot of a bright yellow official City of Hamilton "ORDER" form taped to a rusty chain-link fence surrounded by green foliage. The document lists the property address as 36 Tiffany St, features the file number and by-law details, and is signed by a municipal enforcement officer with a compliance deadline of June 7, 2026. — A City of Hamilton property standards order issued under the Yard Maintenance By-law is posted at 271 Bay Street North, 107 Stuart Street, and 34–36 Tiffany Street in the West Harbour district on May 27, 2026, ordering the owner to clear long weeds and garbage from the vacant lands. Credit: SUBMITTED

The properties, located directly across from the West Harbour GO Station, have been the subject of protracted legal disputes. Owned by companies known as the White Star Group, the site previously operated as an automotive salvage yard called White Star Auto Wreckers. White Star Group purchased the property in the late 1990s.

While the developer originally applied to construct a medium-density residential complex featuring an eight-storey, 164-unit luxury condominium building known as West Harbour Villa at Tiffany Square, the land has remained undeveloped for decades amid extensive litigation. White Star Group currently has an active civil lawsuit filed against the City of Hamilton.

In April 2021, the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal dismissed a separate legal action by White Star Group that sought $32,893,970 in damages from the municipality. The tribunal ruled the developer’s conduct unreasonable, unnecessary, and largely without legal basis, issuing a rare costs penalty against the group of companies.

The property recently faced a forced municipal tax sale auction. In April 2026, the City of Hamilton listed 32–36 Tiffany Street with a minimum required bid of $102,404.87, and 107 Stuart Street with a minimum bid of $90,528.44. The owners managed to halt the forced public sale just weeks before the fire by paying a sufficient portion of the outstanding tax balances.

There are no active development applications for the properties.