The City of Port Alberni is moving forward with the demolition of the Port Pub.

The building, located on Argyle Street, was evacuated in May of this year after the discovery of 鈥渉azardous materials鈥� on site. Approximately two dozen tenants were evacuated from the top two floors of the building and the building was boarded up.

City council officially gave the order for the Port Pub to be demolished in June. The owner was given 30 days to apply for a demolition permit, but when this didn't happen, the city took over.

The city announced on Thursday, Nov. 14 that its contractor, Warbrick Contracting, will begin removing contaminated and hazardous materials from the Port Pub in preparation for demolition. The work is scheduled to begin in mid-November and is expected to take six weeks to complete.

As abatement takes place, the city says it will be attempting to contact former tenants of the building in order to return any personal belongings that were left behind when the building was evacuated back in May 2024.

鈥淚t is important to us that the former tenants have an opportunity to reclaim any personal items left behind," said Mary Clare Massicotte, the city's manager of community safety and social development. Anyone with items to pick up can reach out to the city's Public Safety Building at 250-720-2831.

After abatement work is finished, Warbrick Contracting will need to acquire a demolition permit from the city before the controlled demolition of the Port Pub takes place. The city says all neighbouring residents and businesses will be kept informed as the demolition work proceeds.