Jun 10, 2008 - 03:52 PM

By Kristen Calis

PICKERING -- The days of Scott McGregor's successful jewelry-making business have gone up in flames.

"I don't have those clients anymore," he said. "They're gone."

On Nov. 20, 2006, an explosion and fire destroying a crystal methamphetamine lab tore through the industrial complex at 1895 Clements Rd., including Mr. McGregor's Highwood Manufacturing and Ramona Williams' Durham Plastics. Ms. Williams has since reopened her business elsewhere, but Mr. McGregor simply can't afford to do that. He said business owners were originally told it would only be a couple of weeks until they could go back in, and thought he'd be up and running before Christmas 2006, which ended up not being the case.

"It all wouldn't be so bad if all had burnt down at once," Mr. McGregor said. "But the chain of roadblocks and red tape...set off a series of broken promises to my creditors and clientele."

They were finally allowed access to their units in late March of 2007 to remove what they could. By the time they could remove what was salvageable, which wasn't much, they'd lost many long-time customers, as well as equipment resulting from winter damage when snow got in from a hole in the roof. It wasn't until March of this year that the units were able to be leased again.

"We're personally hurting from all of this and it's very emotional for both of us," Mr. McGregor said.

Ms. Williams, a single mother, said although she relocated, she's in a terrible financial situation and has also lost a number of customers. Her accountant put an $845,000 price tag just on the loss of income and lost assets she was "forced" to leave behind. Both said they've been given the "run-around" from the time the fire broke out, since there was a report from the clean-up company on the case that deemed it safe to go back in 15 days following the fire.

"I went from being a completely debt-free company to plunging over my head in debt, and soon to lose my house," Ms. Williams said, adding the lifestyle she and her children once enjoyed is now the opposite, where she struggles to even send her son on a class day-trip.

She also said financial papers she needs had to be destroyed.

"I can't go to the bank now for further financing because 14 years of paper are gone," she said.

Steve Fowlds, a fire inspector with the City of Pickering, said Pickering Fire Services has to protect life, property and the environment, and in order to do so, serious precautions had to be taken.

"It had nothing to do with them personally. There was a definite concern for public safety down there," he said, adding the fire department had never encountered anything like it.

He said it was unsafe for the tenants to enter their units in order to remove their equipment.

"There was a big hole in the roof," he said. "That part of the building was structurally unsound."

Mr. Fowlds said the fire department had to rely on chemical experts, since fire services doesn't have that expertise. Involved in the process were the Office of the Fire Marshall Ontario, the Ministry of the Environment, the Electrical Safety Authority, the Ministry of Labour and the Technical Standards and Safety Authority.

"We had to rely on that and we did that from the start to the end," he said.

Mr. McGregor said he and Ms. Williams recently sent a letter to the City asking for compensation in order to avoid court, but said they may be forced to go that route. They've tried to conduct the matter in a business-like fashion, but the City has been "very evasive," he said.

"It would involve a class-action lawsuit of a minimum of 60 businesses," he said, adding claims would range from $10,000 to $150,000 from each business involved.

Chief Administrative Officer Tom Quinn confirmed the City has received the letter and said it has been sent to the City's legal department and insurance company. He said Mr. McGregor and Ms. Williams' situation is "really, really unfortunate, really sad."