Heavy demolition of the collapsed 78 Main St. building in Penetanguishene was completed Monday, paving the way for Main Street to re-open Saturday.
Some residents and businesses affected by the collapse were informed they will be able to return to their homes on Nov. 1, according to a statement released by the town last night.
In the early morning hours of Sept. 7, two walls of 78 Main St. collapsed, resulting in the immediate evacuation of close to 50 people in apartments and the closure of five businesses on the west side down to Water Street.
"I want to express my deepest appreciation to those who were affected by the building collapse, for their incredible patience and resilience during this difficult time," Mayor Doug Rawson said in the town's statement.
"I also want to extend my thanks to our first responders and all those who are working tirelessly to clean up and restore the area. Your dedication and hard work has not gone unnoticed and is truly appreciated by the entire community.”
Rawson told MidlandToday the building collapse took everyone by surprise.
"Who could predict that a building is going to collapse in your downtown core?"
But the town's emergency plan immediately kicked in, he said.
"I learned that the community is resilient and strong. I learned that there are great community agencies out there that, hours after this happened, rallied around to help provide relief, emergency shelter, necessary supplies, everything that they needed for daily living was accommodated. No one had to live on the street."
The County of Simcoe, Red Cross and the Salvation Army stepped in to help people displaced.
"We've been able to collaborate with many people to make this as positive as we could," said Rawson.
The Penetanguishene Stands Together fundraiser raised close to $8,000. Rawson said the county will be distributing the monies to displaced tenants and closed business owners in the near future.
As the road re-opens and businesses begin to return to normal operations, the town will continue working to support the downtown core in efforts to encourage visiting and shopping local, read the statement.
However, tax relief for businesses, closed since Sept. 7, is not on the table at this time, said Rawson.
"I think that is a difficult conversation if that is the expectation because who do you grant tax relief to and who do you not because everybody on the main street has been impacted?" he said. "Then is it fair that the residents of the community have to pay an increased amount of taxation because of that?"
Council is the authority on taxation relief and taxation levels.
"It's one that I don't feel I will be bringing forward," Rawson said of tax relief.
The cause of the collapse hasn't yet been determined, said the mayor.
"Yes. It's an old building, but there are other old buildings in town that haven't collapsed. It's not fair to say age was the factor," he said.
Additionally, the municipality doesn't have jurisdiction over privately-owned buildings, whether they are retail establishments or homes.
"It's the building owner's responsibility," Rawson said.
