After seven years of living in Calgary’s Fairview neighbourhood, Angela Torry thought she’d found the perfect place for her growing family.
“We really like it here,” Torry said. “The school is right there, so my son’s going to be able to go to school walk to school, we really liked that. We know the neighbours. We feel comfortable with them.”
But problems began when a house on nearby Fairmount Drive sold in 2022.
Since then, a rotating cast of characters have rolled through the house, often more than a dozen at a time.
“Just the amount of goods coming in and out of the backyard… There’s been bikes, there’s cars coming in,” another neighbour, Michael Quinn, added. “I’m not, not sure if it’s a drug deal, but it certainly looks like one… There are a lot of threats of violence and hooting and hollering and just all hours of the night. They’ve called the cops, they’ve done everything that they can and they’ve got no relief from it.”
The situation is so tense, Global News could only capture footage of the property from the air.
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Reporters and camera-people were threatened when they came near the property, something that’s become par for the course for those living nearby.
“It’s been associated with some petty crime in the neighbourhood and we’ve even seen domestic violence,” Torry recalled. “Lots of yelling and fighting. A neighbour down the street got beaten up last summer. It’s been awful.”
“It creates this constant level of stress and anxiety in our lives. Because you hear a scream, and we’re like ‘What’s happening?’ and you’re immediately on guard. We see a vehicle drive by that we don’t recognize and we’re immediately like ‘Is that a drug deal? Do we need to be alarmed? Do we need to call the cops? To have that constantly in your brain is exhausting, to be perfectly honest.”
City Bylaw has now ordered the owners to remove debris from the yard by the end of next week. If it’s not done, a City-contracted crew will move in to do the work with the owners footing the bill.
Inside the house, an Alberta Health Services order paints a picture of cramped quarters for 13 residents, windowless rooms, leaks and punctured walls.
“Alberta Health Services (AHS) Environmental Public Health (EPH) has discussed with the property owner at 8226 Fairmount Drive S.E. all outstanding issues outlined in this Executive Officer’s Order,” AHS said in a statement. “Environmental Public Health continues to work with the property owner to ensure all necessary corrections occur in a timely manner.”
AHS did not confirm how quickly the necessary repairs must be made.
Global News attempted to contact one of the owners, Andrew Chen, but was unsuccessful. Chen is listed as an owner or property manager of 10 other houses and garages across the city that have been ordered to vacate or fix serious issues within the past 10 months.
Problems ranged from people living in garages to 15 square feet of sprawling mould taking over ceilings and walls.
In the meantime, Fairview residents have banded together to document every issue in hopes of forcing action.
“If this is happening to you, or if you’re living in this neighbourhood, just do whatever you can to report it,” Quinn said. “If you have stolen goods, report it. Police are saying you can go back and do a report on stuff two or three years ago because without having any record of stolen stuff, they can’t really help you. I get that it’s frustrating, but if we all band together, I think we can do something about this.”
Calgary Police Service did not respond to Global News’ request for comment by deadline. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
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