Mississauga city councillors voted Wednesday to waive the municipal portion of the property tax bill for 29 homeowners who are still unable to inhabit their homes as a result of the June 2016 house explosion on Hickory Drive.

On the afternoon of June 28, a home on the street, located near Dixie Road and Rathburn Road East was levelled by a tremendous explosion, killing its two occupants, 55-year-old Robert Nadler his 55-year-old wife Diane Page.

Debris from the blast spewed hundreds of metres in all directions, initially forcing the evacuation of as many as 700 other homes in the area and injuring several other people nearby.

On Dec. 30, 2016, police ruled the blast an intentional double-suicide, alleging that Nadler and Page deliberately disconnected natural gas pipes connected to their home’s hot water tank in an attempt to trigger a blast.

Four homes adjacent to the blast site have since been completely demolished. Mississauga officials say 29 homes still have building code orders that prevent anyone from living inside.

Ward 3 Mississauga councillor Chris Fonseca moved a motion in council on Wednesday that called on the city to issue a grant equivalent to the outstanding property taxes owed by displaced residents of the area, arguing that the explosion constituted an “extraordinary situation.”

But Mayor Bonnie Crombie warned that the decision to offer tax relief in this instance would open the city up to other demands in the event of future catastrophes.

“This is unprecedented and while we recognized this situation, I do not want to open ourselves up for future issues that may occur such as fires, floods, etc., without a proper procedure in place.”

The city had earlier waived late payment charges for homeowners in the area who could not yet live in their homes, and waived fees for homeowners in the area who wished to appeal their 2016 property tax assessments.

Wednesday’s decision by Mississauga city council does not affect outstanding regional property taxes and local education taxes.

Crombie called on the provincial government to offer the ability to waive local education taxes on homeowners impacted by similar crises in the future.