After almost five years of legal gridlock, the owner of Somerset House and the city are still no closer to an agreement on what’s next for the decrepit building.
On March 14, city solicitor Rick O’Connor informed city council that TKS Holdings Inc., the company that owns Somerset House, has filed for an appeal against a court ruling that it is partially responsible for emergency-related expenses.
TKS has been fighting with the city over emergency-related expenses dating back to November 2007. Part of Somerset House collapsed, trapping a worker for several hours and causing the city to shut down nearby streets for up to eight weeks.
An emergency order from the city allowed the owner to partially demolish the building, as well as remove surrounding streetlights and close streets. In total, the Somerset House collapse cost the city $428,000.
In December, an Ontario Superior Court judge ordered TKS Holdings, and its owner Tony Shahrasebi, to pay back 75 per cent, or $316,000.
Now, Shahrasebi is appealing that decision. No court date has been set.
Shahrasebi refused comment. However, former owner Edgar Mitchell points to the city as a possible culprit for the decline of Somerset House, which he called “a hub of the community.” “It should be a draw, not a detriment. It’s been a detriment now for six years and I’m not sure who we should blame for that, but I have a very strong idea it’s our city.”
–with files from Toni Baggos