Late night food trucks stir up fight in northeast Calgary

The owners of twopopular food trucks operating next to a northeast Calgary park for the past three years say they are being bullied and harassed by residentswho don't want them there, including Calgary-Falconridge MLA, Devinder Toor.

The Lahori BBQ Hut and Indian Bistro trucks park on 80th AvenueN.E. and Taradale DriveN.E. most nights. They servePakistani and Indian streeteats to people using the busy green space and lake, which aresurrounded by apartments and family homes backing onto the park.

The mobile eateries are inspected,licensedand allowed to operate at the location from 6 p.m. until 11 p.m.

But some residents who live theresay the trucks attract gangs of youths in cars, increasetraffic in the area aswell aslitter andnoise pollution from generators on the trucks, which are both enclosedgenerators.

The truck owners say their small food businesses have nothing to do with existing traffic problems and noisy vehicles cruisingthe neighbourhood at night. They say the complaints are more about northeastpolitics than genuine publicsafetyconcerns.

In oneincident onMay 30, the truck ownersallege they were visited by UCP MLA Devinder Toor along with a group of men, whom they describe as a mob. Theysaythe groupspoke to them aggressively and demanded theymove away from the area for good. The owners bothsay it was aconfrontation thatfelt more like a threat than a conversation.

Food truck dispute serves up controversy in northeast Calgary

4 years ago

Duration 2:04

Food truck owners who've been set up on 80th Avenue in the northeast for several years say they're now being bullied and pressured to move by locals, and even their MLA.

"I am here with a licence, everything is good but recently some people they have a problem," said Talat Ejaz, owner of the Lahori BBQ Hut.

"Bylaw checked our papers, health people checked our papers and the city licensing people checked our paperseverything is good," Ejaz said.

"Devinder Toor showed up with a group, about 15 of them, and demandedmy wife move the truck. Thenthey went to the next truck. I told them I have a right to be here, but Toor told usheis an MLA and he canmake new rules so we can't park here anymore," said Ejaz.

Ejaz says Toor told them his partyis in power in Alberta and he canchange the law. He says thegroup then moved on tothe owner of thesecond truck, Indian Bistro, and repeated the threat.

"It was a surprise and threatening," said Danial Punni.

"Mr. Toorsaid they will put a no parking sign here, which is shocking for me from our respected MLA," he said.

"We are just following the bylaws. It's just a small business during the summer time," he said.

Punni's wife,Amandeep Kaur, says an MLA shouldn't be approaching and threatening local business owners.

"They don't have any legal notice," she said. "They need to go by the law. If they have an issue, they shouldn't come to somebody's business and threaten. They have no right to threaten," Kaursaid. "We live in Canada."

Kaur said people who don't want the trucks operatingthere are parking their cars on 80th Avenue to try to block them fromsetting up, as well as filming them on phones.

The truck owners saythe list of issues being raised by those opposed to the trucks have nothing to do with them.

In an interview, Devinder Toorgavea different accountof approachingthe truck owners and denies threatening to have them removed or using his position to changeparking regulations.

"Yes, I approached them and there were some community members that weren't happy," said Toor.

"I think if they can help, that's what I requested. They should get along with the community members. Together, they're the ones that can find a solution. It's not up to me," said Toor.

"It's a municipal matter," he said.

Meanwhile, apetition to have the trucks removed from 80th Avenue has been circulating. Another petition supporting the trucks is also collecting signatures.

"We're not against their business, but this is not the right spot," saidCharandip Matharu, who haslived in Taradale for 10 years.

"It'salready congested, cars racing by and people crossing the road. The trucks are attracting people who have no business in this neighbourhood. We can't sleep till midnight or 2 a.m.," said Matharu.

"This is a lovely community,"said resident Jacob Anthony. "There's a lot of traffic and this isn't the right spot. They are here till almost midnight. People are coming hereand they have no respect with the noises."

"The food trucks is like having two restaurants parked outside of my bedtime window," saidRanjitSingh, who lives just over 80th Avenue in an apartment building in Saddle Ridge.

"Twenty to 30 people park here,eat and drink. There have been fights," said Singh. "They're loud, they laugh."

Singh says visiting cars also block parking spots for people living in an apartment complex.

"The wrong crowd comes here disturbing the residents," saidPaul Matharoo, with the Taradale Community Association.

"Anybody who passes by, the people who gather hereare teasing them, kids are scared to come here," he said. "They are not following the rules."

But the truck owners insistthey are following the rules andaren't responsible for traffic, speeding cars andthe behaviour of members of the public and customers who choose to visit the park in the evening.

Ward 5 Coun.George Chahalhas visited the truck ownersand spoken with residents to try to find some middle ground.

"There's been a lot more traffic in the area and concerns with the time the food trucks have spent there. They are allowed to spend five hours there and we've had bylaw out regularly to check that to make sure they are complying," said Chahal.

The councillor says the location sits just down the road from a busy commercial area, congestedroads lined withhousesand apartments and lots of traffic.

"It's very vibrant here," said Chahal."But there are a lot of factors that have caused concern for the community, and rightly so. Many are public safety related and our transportation and planning departments need to come out and see what we can do better, what can we bring forward to alleviate these concerns," he said.

Chahal says Calgary Police Service officers visit thearea regularly to make sure people aren't speeding or driving dangerously.

He says a solution isabout finding the right balance between allowing the businesses to operate whilehearing the residents' concerns.

The truck owners say they are open to a conversation about how to be good neighbours but don't plan on moving to a new location any time soon.