The demolition of a house that has been vacant for 45 years is causing great inconvenience to the neighborhood of the Chicoutimi district of Saguenay.
Its owner decided to demolish everything himself, with his own hands, without the use of machines.
The city has given him permission, but the length of the work, which is dragging on, is beginning to inconvenience neighbors, including an elderly couple who live behind the building on University Boulevard.
“It’s discouraging, it doesn’t make sense,” said Gilles Maltais.
The couple fears for their safety, but also for that of the drivers. When the TVA Nouvelles team passed, debris blown by the wind landed in the middle of the boulevard.
“What bothers me is the country’s retaining walls collapsing,” said Carol Pilote, another neighbor.
The owner of the building, who was absent when TVA Nouvelles visited, was injured twice while carrying out the work. The city authorities asked the owner to secure the site with a fence, which we were able to confirm.
He would consider building a new six-unit building on the vacant lot, but neighbors doubt that he can realize his project in such a small space.