'Strict conditions' for notorious building in Alberta Avenue neighbourhood

Alberta Sheriffs have put tenancy restrictions on a notorious rooming house in Edmonton's Alberta Avenue neighbourhood that was the scene of two drug-related homicides last September.

The Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) unit has obtained a court order restricting the number of tenants at 11119 94th St. and placing the property owner under "strict conditions" for five years, Alberta Justice and Solicitor General said Friday.

The property had been causing problems for eight years and neighbours needed relief, SCANinvestigator Paul Hennig told CBC News.

Issues included "drug use, drug sales, prostitution, violence, violence within the neighbourhoods, problems with needles and discarded waste in other properties in the neighbourhood," Hennig said.

"And then of course wehad the two homicides that occurred there. There was also a fentanyl overdose there shortly before the homicides. So it's just been a mess for the whole neighbourhood.

"With these rooming houses and drug addicts and the type of people that stay there, the crime kind of follows them around, so the neighbourhood was subjected to an increase in petty crimes that occur to fuel the addictions."

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It's the second time in a week the SCAN unit has announced legal action against a problem property in Edmonton. On Wednesday, SCAN said it has shut down a property in the Newton neighbourhood for 90 days. That house was also the scene of a homicide in 2017.

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The owner of the Alberta Avenue property can no longer operate the property as a rooming house and is limited to renting out three suites.The landlord mustinspect the building every second day to ensure it complies with fire, health and bylaw rules.

"This property is one that we're trying some differentapproaches with to try and control the activities that are going on, through the community safety order that was issued," Hennig said. "Changing it from a rooming house to a rental property "should control the majority of those problems," he said.

Hennig said the rooming house had seven suites but was housing 15 to 20 people at any given time.

"The traffic to and from this property was unbelievable."

SCAN opened an investigation after acomplaint about drug activity in 2014. Investigators issued a warning letter to the landlord in July 2015. The landlord evicted tenants and the drug activity stoppedtemporarily.

SCAN opened another investigation in 2017 after "renewed drug activity and a serious escalation in crime," the news release said.

During one week last September, two drug-related homicides took place on the premises. Earlier in 2017, a woman died of an overdose inside the property.

SCAN investigators obtained a community safety order on March 16.

Alberta Justice said investigators opted against a full closure "to avoid displacing residents who weren't involved in criminal activity."