AHS issues enforcement order after more than 40 beds found in Banff home

.

Health officials have ordered the owners of a Banff property to make multiple changes after it was discovered that more than 40 people could stay in the home, nearly three times its maximum occupancy.

.

Alberta Health Services says an inspection at 321 Squirrel Street late last month revealed conditions that were potentially “injurious or dangerous to public health.” The health authority said 42 beds or mattresses were found at the property, well above the maximum occupancy of 16, as well as many other conditions that violate Alberta’s housing standards, including holes in the walls, leaky faucets that They need repair and one tenant sleeping. in a basement with no window.

The order directs landlords to “immediately and diligently follow” several steps to mitigate the situation, including numerous repairs, removing most of the beds and mattresses from the property, and renting it out to a maximum of 16 tenants.

.

The city of Banff said its charter officials have responded to multiple incidents at the Squirrel Street home in recent years, along with AHS, the fire department and building inspectors, to try to bring the property into compliance with laws. local and provincial.

“Unfortunately, this property was still non-compliant and continued to have inadequate living arrangements,” City Planning Director Darren Enns said.

Enns said the city will follow up with its own enforcement actions on the property, but noted that it will help residents find other housing options.

“We will work to ensure that no one who lives on this property is left without adequate housing,” he said.

‘Lack of affordable housing’

For some, the idea that more than 40 people could have squeezed into a single-family home is a sign of the dire need for additional affordable housing options in Banff.

.

“This just speaks to how limited people’s options are and the lack of affordable housing that exists here,” said Ebony Rempel, executive director of the YWCA Banff.

YWCA Banff provides affordable housing units to more than 100 people, a number that will increase with the addition of 33 units in a new family-oriented building this month. Rempel said that when the organization opened applications for the new building in the spring, it was inundated with inquiries.

“In a very short period of time, we had over 100 applicants who were eligible to apply to move into our space,” he said, noting that it was out of season for tourism and with little publicity. “That’s just one example of what the experience is like here.”

Enns said the city council makes it a priority to create more affordable housing in Banff. He mentioned that the Banff Housing Corporation, the city’s remote housing nonprofit, recently opened an affordable rental building in 2018, one is scheduled for completion next spring, and another is in the planning stages. Private companies also continue to redevelop properties to help house their workers, he said.

.

“Unlike other communities, the City of Banff cannot expand outward to add more housing. We’ve had the same limit since we incorporated as a city in 1990, less than four square miles,” Enns said, adding that the city supports and benefits from Parks Canada’s eligible residents legislation, which prohibits ownership of a second home in the community and requires the residents of the town to also work in the town.

“This has helped keep housing demand in check relative to other visitor-based communities where housing costs can be even more extreme.”

Despite recent progress, Mayor Corrie DiManno said more is still needed to address Banff’s housing situation, but the city must ensure it is legally up to the task.

.

“We certainly need more affordable housing in Banff and we will continue to explore opportunities to increase the housing stock,” he said.

“As a community that welcomes the world, Banff is a beautiful place to live, but it is imperative that it also be a safe and comfortable place to call home. As such, we will continue to work with the provincial agency to monitor the housing situation in Banff and ensure owners meet our strict occupancy and safety requirements.”

While praising the local government investments, Rempel said he would like to see the provincial and federal governments increase their funding for housing in Banff.

“The people who work here deserve clean, affordable space to live in,” Rempel said.

.

‘serious mistake’

The order for 321 Squirrel Street initially named three people as the property’s owners: Jacqueline Rogers, Hannah-Maree Wilson and Gail Morgan. Rogers, who manages a bed and breakfast at nearby 312 Squirrel Street, told Postmedia that she and Wilson, her mother, were wrongly included in the initial warrant and have never had any association with the property in action.

Rogers had his attorney contact AHS to correct the error, and the document was amended Monday afternoon to show only two owners, Morgan and Janna-Joy Goff.

“I know that house has been a mess for a long time and we were all shocked to hear that there were 40 beds there, but I was even more upset to learn that I had been (unfairly) put there as the owner.” Rogers said.

“I have a legal bed and breakfast and it is beautiful, so I am very concerned that this has happened… someone from the government, Alberta Health Services, made a serious mistake.”

Postmedia attempted to contact Morgan, who received the verbal order from AHS officials, but did not immediately hear back.

[email protected]

Twitter: @miguelrdrguez