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A long Fredericton saga could be coming to a close after city council voted against trying to take ownership of a damaged historic property in the heart of the downtown on Monday night.<\/p>\n
The building at 11 Carleton St., one of four that make up the Fredericton Military Compound National Historic Site of Canada, was damaged by a fire in March 2024<\/a> that was deemed to be arson. Over two years later, the building is still roped off and exposed to the elements.\u00a0<\/p>\n At Monday night\u2019s meeting, council unanimously voted not to take up an offer from the Department of National Defence to possibly divest the property to the city.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re not interested in the financial risk and the potential legal risk that goes along with it,” Mayor Steve Hicks said in an interview after the vote.\u00a0<\/p>\n “So council made that decision, and DND will do what they do.”<\/p>\n A report from the office of the city clerk tabled at council said the Department of National Defence had recently advised the city that it intends to proceed with the building\u2019s demolition, unless the city was interested in having the divestment process initiated.<\/p>\n The federal government divestment process would not mean a guaranteed transfer to the city as other parties could also express interest, the report said.<\/p>\n \u201cParticipation would require the City to commit time and resources toward a process with an uncertain outcome,\u201d the report said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cDuring that period, the existing concerns associated with the property, including ongoing deterioration, site conditions, public safety considerations, and impacts on the surrounding area, would remain unresolved.\u201d<\/p>\n The report said city administration had not identified \u201ca viable municipal rationale\u201d for entering the divestment process, given the condition of the structure and lack of a funding source.\u00a0<\/p>\n If the property were to be divested to the city, the city would take on all legal and financial risks associated with the property.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou don’t know until you get into that sort of stuff,\u201d Hicks said.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, it’s been two and a half years that the building has been sitting there burnt and in disrepair. And it’s a public safety concern.\u201d<\/p>\n Hicks said it\u2019s unfortunate what happened to the building, blaming it on the \u201csocio-economic crisis that we’re dealing with in our city.\u201d<\/p>\n The man who was sentenced to two years in prison for setting the building on fire was homeless and addicted to drugs, a court heard at the time.<\/a><\/p>\n If the Department of National Defence does proceed with demolition, the department would work with the city to salvage any relevant items in the building and determine what happens next at the site, the report said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s in a pretty predominant space in our city,” Hicks said. “It’s right downtown, it’s prime real estate.”<\/p>\n Local experts have spoken out about the historical importance<\/a> of the property since it was damaged. <\/p>\n![\"Fredericton](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786488495_516_default.jpg\")
Fredericton Mayor Steve Hicks said the city wasn’t interested in taking on the potential legal and financial risks that could come with the damaged building. (Aidan Cox\/CBC)<\/p>\n![\"Firefighters](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786488496_573_default.jpg\")
A man was sentenced to two years in prison for intentionally starting the 2024 fire at the building. (Aidan Cox\/CBC)<\/p>\n