Inn Owner Burke Maidlow and the municipality of Arran-Elderslie have been in a legal battle for nearly three years about the building.
Maidlow wants to renovate it, but the municipality is concerned about liability issues due to the unsafe condition of the building.
Mayor Ron Oswald says it’s time to bring the issue to a conclusion after three years of being in and out of court.
He says it’s time to decide if the inn should be restored or torn down.
Oswald says the situation can’t keep going back and forth to court, and says if the inn’s owner has the money, he’s fine with him being able to restore it.
Oswald says liability is the municipality’s main concern.
He says if something happens to someone working on the site, the municipality could be held liable because it “has the deepest pockets.”
Arran-Elderslie has rejected building permit applications for renovation work on the Paisley Inn in the past and the Ministry of Labour has also ordered work to stop on the site because of safety concerns.
