BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1510 West

Ryan Derrig’s plan to build a new home for his family in Pointe Claire has been long, expensive and frustrating — and he has not even broken ground yet.

But now, he is hopeful that too will happen soon, as earlier this month he was granted a permit to tear down the house that sits on his lot on Lakeshore Road, just east of St. Jean Boulevard.

Getting that permit has been an ordeal. It has taken him more than a year. The process has involved receiving approval of his plans for the new house, two applications for a demolition permit to tear down the old house, a committee decision, two appeals, a bylaw change, a court challenge, a decision by council and, on Aug. 12, a second vote by council that reversed its previous stand, granting him permission to tear down the bungalow across from the Stewart Hall parking lot.

“We’re very happy,” Derrig said in an interview with The 1510 West on Monday. “We’re still really annoyed it took so long because they mishandled my file. That is how I feel.”

In a split vote at its August meeting, Pointe Claire council granted Derrig his demolition permit. This move rejects the city’s demolition committee’s recommendation to deny permission to tear down the house that was built in 1963. It also reverses council’s own decision taken in January that initially backed the demolition committee’s recommendation following Derrig’s first application that suggested the house should be renovated instead of being torn down.

“It’s a frustrating process,” Derrig said.

It is a process that has also cost him. According to his calculations, he has spent roughly $60,000 in permit application fees, plans, reports and lawyer’s fees.

Derrig submitted his first request for a demolition permit in July 2024, at a cost of $6,000, which was accompanied by a full set of plans for the new house he would build on the 18,000-square-foot lot. In November, the request was denied by the demolition committee, which is composed of three members of Pointe Claire council. The decision was based on a report prepared by a real estate appraiser who relied on an inspection carried out by an architect. Both were contracted by the city.

The report by the appraiser states: “The floor of the master bedroom is not level as it slopes back and to the right. Access to the crawl space beneath much of the room was difficult. It’s possible that the floor was built this way, but it’s also possible that a structural problem is to blame. Call in a structural expert if necessary.”

The report concludes the estimated cost for renovations required would total $64,000, including taxes, yet adds: “estimated amount for the building renovation must be interpreted with reservations and confirmed by the expertise of specialized contractors.”

Derrig, who is a construction contractor by profession, criticized the report.

In fact, at the Aug. 12 council meeting, councillor Paul Bissonnette highlighted a number of issues of concern about the reliability of the report’s conclusions.

Bissonnette was one of four councillors who voted to oppose the demolition committee’s recommendation and issue a permit to tear down the structure. He is also one of two councillors who took the time to visit the property before deciding its fate, Derrig said.

Another issues that came into play, was the fact that Pointe Claire opted to update its demolition bylaw earlier this year. Under the old bylaw, the owner of a property had to have plans for a replacement building approved before requesting a demolition permit, which Derrig did. But when he was denied a permit, he appealed. Then, he filed a court action when the appeal was lost.

The city’s lawyer handling the case urged Derrig to reapply for a demo permit under the new bylaw. That application was submitted with additional reports — from a structural engineer and an independent general contractor. They estimated the cost of bringing the house up to today’s standard without expanding it, would be more than $500,000.

But the second application was subjected to a different set of standards outlined in the new bylaw, measures that are weighted to favour renovation over demolition.

Derrig’s second application for a demo permit was the first one considered under the city’s new bylaw.

Pointe Claire Mayor Tim Thomas abstained from voting on the request. In an interview on Monday he said the new bylaw needs refinement.

“We should not be knocking down houses willy-nilly,” Thomas said, but admitted more precise measures of how to judge where the tipping point is are needed. “The percentages and proportions need to be clear.”

He also said the professional assessment used in this particular case “was not confidence inspiring.