By David Wiwchar

Port Pub Apartments cleared

May 30, 2024 | 8:57 AM

More than two dozen people were forced from their homes at the Port Pub Apartments yesterday.

The eviction came after the discovery of airborne asbestos, which prevented paid security guards from entering the building and doing their job of monitoring for fires, since the building had no working fire suppression system.

Port Alberni Fire Chief Mike Owens issued the fire order.

“It was hard to take for for some that they would need to be vacating their premises today,” he said. “Fortunately, with the aid of service providers they’re going to be working hard to store some of their belongings as well as find them adequate housing for this evening and moving forward.”

Social Service workers helped most of the residents box up their possessions and move to new accomodations while a few people refused to leave and police were called to assist.

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The City of Port Alberni has been trying to contact Comox businessman and Port Pub owner Peter Wang, but with no success.

City CAO Mike Fox says orders and estimates have been ignored.

“The owner has been unresponsive,” he said. “We have made sure we sent them updates of inspections, the action orders, anything that’s happening, the fire orders, what our expectations of the owner are, and we have yet to have any response.”

Fox says the City has paid more than $200,000 for security and inspections so far, which will be added to the owners tax bill, and if left unpaid could send the building into the tax sale process.