Last week, a Sault Ste. Marie property owner, Garfield Leonard Brown, was handed a substantial $47,000 in fines by a fire prevention officer in provincial offences court due to violations of the Ontario Fire Code. These violations were uncovered during an inspection conducted in January at 129 Pozzebon Crescent, a multi-residential building in the city’s west end.
Specifically, the violations encompassed several aspects:
- Failure to maintain smoke alarms: Fined $18,000 plus additional costs and victim surcharge
- Failure to maintain and test portable fire extinguishers: Fined $7,000 plus additional costs and victim surcharge
- Failure to annually test smoke alarms and provide maintenance records: Fined $7,000 plus additional costs and victim surcharge
- Failure to affix emergency notices to manual pull stations: Fined $15,000 plus additional costs and victim surcharge Initially contesting all charges, Brown was found guilty in his absence as he failed to appear in court on October 25. However, two other charges related to carbon monoxide alarms and the fire alarm system were withdrawn. Brown has been placed on 12 months’ probation, in addition to the monetary fines.
Sault Ste. Marie Fire Services, while announcing the fines in a recent press release, did not disclose the landlord’s name or the property’s address.
Deputy Chief Paul Milosevich emphasized a policy that refrains from disclosing such details to the public, believing that once a person is charged and faces fines, there’s no necessity to publicly name them. The decision not to disclose these details was also guided by the legal department’s opinion, which aims to ensure that individuals aren’t judged by public opinion. The fines collected are directed toward provincial offences, and the intent behind the disclosure is to deter other property owners from flouting fire code regulations.
