Penhorwood, Wood Buffalo

Penhorwood owners are quite upset over a letter received by the Wood Buffalo Municipality, and many say that they feel threatened because of the harsh letter that was sent to them. The municipality has formally apologized if the letter seemed harsh, and said that it was not the intention of the municipality to deal harshly with the Penhorwood owners. The letter demanded that the owners demolish the building, and stated that they faced steep fines and possibly imprisonment if the demolition was not performed. Penhorwood Condo Association President Christine Burton stated “We’ve been getting very panicked phone calls. They are in a state of complete panic over these letters. We certainly didn’t want them to do it this way. I know no one intended this harshness, but they have perceived this as being a threat.”

The letter from Wood Buffalo that some Penhorwood owners perceived as threatening was not intended that way according to the municipality. Mayor Melissa Blake explained “Council is completely in favour of the demolition of those buildings. But the way the legislation was written does not convey the will of council at all. It was a very concerning letter but not intentionally so.” RMWB’s legal services director David Leflar sent an open letter to Penhorwood owners and tenants stating “Please be assured that the Regional Municipality has absolutely no intention of charging or prosecuting anyone for not demolishing these buildings. What should have accompanied the letter was a cover letter assuring residents they had nothing to fear. We understand that our failure to do so has caused many of you a great deal of stress, and for that we sincerely apologize. The Order was not intended as any kind of threat of prosecution, and we deeply regret that some of you read it that way.”