Pubdate: Sat, 12 Sep 2009 Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB) Copyright: 2009 The Edmonton Journal Contact: http://www2.canada.com/edmontonjournal/letters.html Website: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134 Author: Florence Loyie, Staff Writer NEIGHBOURS OF SUSPECTED DRUG HOUSE CELEBRATE ITS CLOSURE Walter and Eleanor Hickie are looking forward to some peace and quiet for the next three months after a suspected drug house in their neighbourhood was boarded up Friday under the province's Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act. "I think it is wonderful and about time," Eleanor Hickie said of the home at 6707 32nd Ave. "There has been drugs going on there and noise, people coming and going 24/7.We called police many times." The house had been a problem for the last 18 years and the owner never appeared to care that his neighbours were concerned or that they could see what was going on, said Hickie. "What really got to us was the young girls, teenagers, who were constantly coming and going. I didn't know how many people lived there. The only good thing I can say is no children ever went there." The SCAN Act came into effect Oct. 1, 2008, creating a new sheriff's unit to investigate public complaints about properties used for illegal activities associated with gangs, drugs and prostitution. Since it came into effect, the province's two SCAN units have received 402 complaints, and successfully resolved 270 of them. Lee Newton, inspector of the northern Alberta SCAN unit based in Edmonton, said the home that was shut down Friday came to their attention in November. After conducting an investigation to confirm the complaints, SCAN officials tried to resolve the issue informally by informing the owner several times, including with a hand-delivered warning letter. When the complaints continued, the unit went to Court of Queen's Bench last week to obtain a Community Safety Order to shut the house down for 90 days. That order was executed Friday morning. The owner was told to vacate and the home was boarded up and enclosed with a security fence. The SCAN unit has obtained three safety orders for Edmonton properties since it was launched, but Friday was the first time a property was shut down, Newton said. The owner knew what was coming and left without incident, he said. "The property remains closed for 90 days. We don't take ownership of the property. At the end of 90 days, the property is opened up again and the keys returned to the owner," Newton said. Booting the occupants out of a problem premises is used as a last resort. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr