The Village Inn in downtown Bradford West Gwillimbury is having a “grey area” of fire-code renovations covered by a town business grant worth nearly $16,000, town council recently voted.
The town’s Community Improvement Plan (CIP) grant program does not expressly mention covering fire audits, although it covers a variety of other interior and exterior upgrades.
“(Village Inn owner Stephen) Dykie is stuck with the amount, which is no fault of his own. It’s a grey area. We need to have some clear directions,” said Coun. Raj Sandhu during an April 16 council meeting.
The issue stems from a 2009 fire at the 99-year-old building, after which BWG Fire and Emergency Services issued a notice it needed documentation the business complied with fire codes if it was classified as a hotel, according to a town staff report.
Dykie hired a consultant to file a report with Fire Services — but he did not receive a reply until 2018, when he was ordered to do an audit and retrofits, which he completed.
“At no time, up until the date of this report, were the Village Inn owners aware that Bradford Fire did not have an opinion on whether the Village Inn was a hotel (and, therefore, needed upgrades),” he said, noting the fire department does annual inspections of the building.
During the family’s 50-year ownership of the building, Dykie said it has done several major renovations, including $300,000 for facade upgrades and an offsite monitoring system.
There were no “outside grants,” such as the town’s CIP funding, available at that time for such work, he said.
Dykie requested $15,757.77 in CIP funding from the town to cover 75 per cent of the fire audit cost and 50 per cent of the renovation costs, read a town staff report.
Coun. Peter Dykie Jr., who is related to him, declared a conflict of interest and did not participate in the discussion or vote on the issue at the council meeting.
Council voted April 16 to approve the requested CIP funding.
Several councillors also raised questions about why it took the fire department nine years to respond to the issue.
“For nine, 10 years we sat on it. I hope we go back and look at why there’s a nine-year gap,” Sandhu said.
BWG Fire Chief Kevin Gallant said it was “always a grey area” if The Village Inn was a hotel or rooming house, but it was not until the owner confirmed in writing he had “daily rentals” that a hotel classification became official.
“I don’t want people to shy away from the CIP program … because the fire department and other entities are going to come in and inspect,” said Coun. Mark Contois. “I know it’s a grey area, (but) it was out of (Dykie’s) hands. He didn’t shy away from making the corrections.”
