City officials inspect complex near Victoria Park and Lawrence avenues

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City officials found broken and missing windows, long grass and weeds and abandoned vehicles Thursday, July 24 when they inspected a Scarborough lowrise complex where a murder occurred earlier this month.

"We've asked them to come out to do an audit of the buildings," Ward 37 (Scarborough Centre) Councillor Michael Thompson said. "They are then going to issue notices to the owner of the buildings to ask for compliance."

The multi-building complex, located on Victoria Park Avenue near Greylawn Crescent, was the scene of a double shooting on July 9.

Justin Brunet, 21, died as a result of the gunfire while a 25-year-old man was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

"The condition that this particular complex is in warrants the city to come in and look at making some changes here. It really speaks to a real desperation that's happening here for the residents," Thompson said. "We understand from the residents that they're very concerned that nothing is being done."

A public meeting on the issue was scheduled to be held Thursday evening.

Patrick Sinn, the owner of the complex, said he wants to see the city's report before deciding what to do.

"There's a lot of vandalism going on right now, mainly from drug dealers and gangs," he said. "There's a lot going on. All this I think resulted in the gunfire where one man was dead and the other injured."

Thompson said the condition of the buildings "breeds a specific element that is creating a safety problem" for residents.

"We know that a lot of people are coming in and hanging out in some of the empty units," he said. "There's apparently been a pattern here where a notice has been issued and some compliance has taken place, and the view has been compliance would continue but it hasn't. What I want to do is to see this through from start to finish to ensure that compliance is going to be adhered to."