SELL SEIZED POOL HALL NOW: CRITICS

Say Vacant Former Hells Angels Building Blight On Neighbourhood

OTTAWA is jeopardizing the future of north Main Street by dragging its feet
in selling a building seized from the Hells Angels under proceeds of crime
legislation almost three years ago, area businessmen, residents and
politicians say.

And some believe federal officials have ignored viable offers for the
two-storey building at 1410 Main St. in favour of using it towards the
national homelessness initiative.

"I hope this is not the experience of other seized assets across the
country," Justice Minister and area MLA Gord Mackintosh said. "Locally, it
has not been positive."

The building, then known as Old Joe's Pool Hall, was seized by the federal
government in July 2002 as part of Ottawa's clampdown on organized crime.
The seizure, one of the first of its kind in Canada, came after police
arrested several people connected to the Hells Angels for using the pool
hall as a front to sell cocaine.

Three years later the building remains empty, with federal employees in
Winnipeg acting as caretakers since the day it was seized.

Joe Picklyk, who owns the building next door on Main Street, said he wanted
to buy the building, but was rejected without explanation. He said as a
result the building sits empty with taxpayers footing the bill for its
heating, hydro and city taxes -- now at $1,997.27.

"That's my money," he said. "It's everybody's money."

The 2006 preliminary market value assessment for the building -- it's set
up as a restaurant on the main floor and five apartment suites upstairs --
is $161,000.

But Picklyk said the building is only worth a third of that because there
is no available parking other than on side streets.

Morris realtor Ray Shaw also said he made an offer on the 3,340-square-foot
building but was also turned down. "I couldn't believe how bureaucratic a
system could be," he said.

Shaw said he wanted to turn it into a real estate office and call centre.

Instead, he said, he was told by a representative of Public Works and
Government Services, which manages seized property, that an offer had
already been made by an area church.

But Shaw said to him it appeared none of the paperwork or financing had
been finalized, meaning if there was an offer on the table, it was only
speculative.

It's believed that offer was made by Red River Christian Fellowship church
around the corner at 225 Atlantic Ave.

Pastor John van Drongelen said in an earlier interview that the church only
wanted to expand the programs it already offers -- a hot meal program, food
bank, clothing depot and a variety of 12-step programs.

A spokesman for the church was unavailable for comment on the status of its
offer.

However, Public Works and Government Services spokesman Denis Labossiere
said efforts had been made by Ottawa to work with a local group -- he would
not identify it -- to fine-tune its proposal so it was in keeping with
Ottawa's plan to find more temporary shelters for homeless people using
seized or surplus buildings.