Demolition of historic Lethbridge, Alta., building delayed
Lethbridge council says a historic building in its Chinatown won't be demolished until concerned groups are given an adequate opportunity to save it.
The Manie Opera Society building was heavily damaged in January in the same fire that destroyed the historic Bow On Tong building.
A motion on Tuesday sought approval to demolish it, but members of the city's Chinese community in attendance said they haven't been consulted on the matter.
"We're very shocked that we didn't have any chance to talk to anybody, not to mention the owner of the building," said spokesperson Ying Zheng at Tuesday's meeting.
As a result, council voted 6-3 to give concerned parties two weeks to meet with the building's owner and search for a way to save it.
That doesn't mean that the Manie Opera Society building is guaranteed to remain standing.
"This does not prevent the owner from moving forward with fencing the site, preparing it for demolition, doing what they need to do, having the engineering down in order to have the building removed," said Coun. Jenn Schmidt-Rempel during the meeting.
"It does give our Chinese community an opportunity to speak with the building owner to see if there's anything further that could be done."
The Manie Opera Society was built in 1907.
Council is scheduled to meet again on June 13. If a solution is not agreed upon at that time, the demolition will proceed according to the owner's wishes.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.