Two houses owned by the bridge company are being demolished after the City of Windsor issued orders due to safety concerns.
The houses are among 114 properties in the Indian Rd. area that the city has been fighting the demolition of for a number of years.
"The ongoing lawsuit certainly pertains to the houses that are in that area and the condition that those houses are in but this specific issue that we're dealing with has to do more with our obligation and public safety," says City Solicitor Shelby Askin Hagger.
She says the properties on Felix Ave and Edison St. have deteriorated to a point that they pose a severe risk.
"There was an inspection, the inspection disclosed that the buildings posed a threat to the public, to adjacent infrastructure as well and so orders were issued that they be demolished," says Askin Hagger.
The lawsuit was recently heard by the Supreme Court of Canada to determine if the Canadian Transit Company is required to follow City of Windsor bylaws and repair the vacant properties.
"What the Supreme Court is actually deciding is not whether the houses can be demolished or what can be done with the properties. What the Supreme Court is deciding is essentially who gets to decide. They're determining who has jurisdiction," says Askin Hagger.
She says it could still be another six months before the Supreme Court makes a ruling.
