Excuse my French, but: The F%ck?!
This sounds like what's happening across the border, though, the scope, proportionally, is so much larger for a town like Brantford. My god, what a misguided "plan". The quote of the mayor is just maddening, reminds me of a prominent demolition firm here in Michigan who's company motto reads: Demolition Makes Progress.
I could perhaps see picking out the most dilapidated with the least chance of being renovated, like what is so common across North America, but wholesale demolition for absolutely nothing has
never improved a city center. Hell, many times, even when something is planned and does replace the demolished properties the city center is not improved. To tear them down with no plans in place for replacement is about as bad as it gets.