PHOTOS: Barbed-wire fence starting to go up around old hospital site

No, that's not a prison. It's the old hospital.

As promised, the company that owns the now-abandoned Queen Street site is erecting a barbed-wire fence to keep squatters away — and city bylaw officers happy.

The news was first reported last month by SooToday's David Helwig, who revealed that Winmar has been retained by Leisure Meadows Community Living Inc. to fence off the decrepit property at 941 Queen St. East.

An initial $60,000 permit for fencing was issued in March, followed by another permit valued at $125,000 issued in April.

The work has officially begun, as the above photos show.

Until two months ago, Leisure Meadows had contracted a private security firm to keep an eye on the notorious property. But as SooToday's James Hopkin recently reported, that security firm is now suing for $118,000 in unpaid bills and other damages.

The owner and its affiliate companies have filed a statement of defence, accusing the security firm of "failing to perform its contractual obligations" and acting "negligently."

The lawsuit has yet to be tested in court and none of the allegations are proven.

Mayor Matthew Shoemaker has previously described the former hospital site as "a blight on our waterfront," and said the "community will be better off with new ownership."