SHERIFFS TIGHTEN RULES
New restrictions on notorious rooming house
Alberta sheriffs have placed new restrictions on a notorious Alberta Avenue rooming house that was the scene of two homicides last year — the first action against such a property in the city.
Two people — Blayne Burnstick and Nexhmi Nuhi — were found slain at 11119 94 St. in September in what investigators called drugrelated homicides.
Earlier in 2017, a woman died of an overdose at the same house.
A community safety order announced Friday will restrict the number of tenants on the property for a period of five years.
The landlord will be required to inspect the property every two days to make sure it is up to fire, health and bylaw standards.
But Burnstick’s mother wants the house torn down.
“I have so many angry emotions around this house,” Loretta Burnstick said in an email. “I hope they eventually shut it down.”
Paul Hennig, an investigator with Alberta Sheriffs’ Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) unit, said the order could have repercussions for similar houses in Edmonton.
“This is our first community safety order on one of these problem rooming houses in the city,” he said.
“This is kind of a test case. We’re going to see how things work out with this. Obviously, we may have to make alterations as we go. But up to this point, the owner is being cooperative with us.”
The SCAN unit has investigated 4,200 problem properties across Alberta since 2008 and has issued 72 community safety orders.
Earlier this week, the SCAN unit used a similar order to shutter a house in the nearby Newton neighbourhood that had also been the scene of a homicide.
Similar action could be taken against the 94 Street house if it doesn’t comply with conditions, Hennig said.
Law enforcement is also able to levy fines against owners.
DARK PAST
According to the land title certificate, the 94 Street house is owned by an Alberta numbered company.
Hennig said the house has been a concern for the community for around eight years.
The goal of the community safety order is to transform the residence from a rooming house to “just a normal rental property.”
Four people live at the property, he said. When it was operating as a rooming house, it had three rooms on the main floor, a single suite on the second floor and three rooms in the basement. It has three separate entrances. The ownership group caters to “hard to house” people and owns more than 100 houses in the city, 25 of which are on the SCAN unit’s radar, Hennig said.
SCAN first investigated a complaint of drug activity at the property in 2014. The complaint led to an official warning to the landlord, who evicted the tenants.
By 2017, the drug activity and crime had resumed.
Landlord Tony Singh told Postmedia he is taking steps to clean up the property. He now visits every day, has installed cameras outside and plans to erect a fence around the corner lot. Many of the people who live there have no place else to go, he said.
Hennig stressed that so far, the owner is being cooperative.
“This group of individuals — who own a number of rooming houses — when we go to them with a problem ... they act on it.”
SCAN also has to balance closing down dangerous houses and displacing vulnerable residents, he said.
“What our history has shown is that although some of these people do resurface in future complaints, a lot of them we never hear from again,” he said. “Some of the individuals that we deal with, we try to get them into rehabilitation programs, and we’ve been successful with some of those.”
‘ABOUT TIME’
Nuhi, a 76-year-old man originally from Albania, was killed at the home when someone shot him through the door of the basement suite Sept. 13. A roommate on the main floor suite said Nuhi lived in the basement with two women whom he cared for.
The remains of Burnstick, 25, who had earlier been reported missing, were discovered in the house Sept. 18.
Edward Piche, 29, was arrested by Saskatoon police March 5 and brought back to Edmonton and charged with the killing.
On Friday, Brendan Van Alstine of the Alberta Avenue Community League said it is “about time” action was taken against the house.
“Yes, it’s a small win for the community, but the property in question has been known to be a problem for many years and it took two murders before anyone was prepared to act,” he said in an email.
“As a league we’d much rather see more proactive measures taken on problem properties before it gets to the point where they become repeat murder scenes.”
This is our first community safety order on one of these problem rooming houses in the city. This is kind of a test case.