Welland fire department sees two properties fined for safety violations

Properties owners in Welland had to shell out fines of $20,000 and $10,000 after they ignored the fire department’s orders to correct safety violations.

Back in December 2020, the department came back to re-inspect the building at 122 Hellems Avenue to see if the owner had installed a fire alarm system for the building. When it turned out the owner had ignored the order, the city’s Fire Prevention Officer (FPO) was forced to take it to the Provincial Offences Court.

On June 22, the owner was convicted for failing to comply with an inspection order and got hit with a fine of $20,000. He has since installed a monitored fire alarm system.

On February 21, the department inspected the property at 3 Cross Street and discovered that the fire and life safety systems for the building had not received the maintenance required by the Ontario Fire Code for several years.

Once again, it landed in court where the owner was fined $10,000 and the department says after the fact, the fire and life safety systems in the building “have been serviced and are operational.”