Dwayne, a member of the Coalition for the Preservation of the Hope Station House, brought a complaint to our office that, among other things, the District of Hope had unfairly dismissed proposals to save the historic train station from pending demolition.

Given the imminent destruction of the building, we conducted an expedited investigation that determined the District’s decision to demolish the building was made without considering all available options. In making the decision to tear down the station, Council was presented with two options: to either demolish the building, or to transfer title to a local First Nation. However, Council was not presented with a third option of moving the building.

The Ombudsperson’s investigation also noted the District did not adequately consider the building’s heritage status when making its initial decision.

As a result of our involvement in this case, the District agreed to not demolish the building and to reconsider the issue. The District initiated a new decision-making process to determine the fate of the building and a stop work order was subsequently issued by the provincial government’s Heritage Branch.