Boyle Street and McCauley are mature communities in Edmonton. As such, some of the residences have aged and become run down and have since been turned into rental properties run by absentee landlords.

These properties then become problematic to both the police and the community, as they often become drug houses that are home to active criminals and draw other criminal activity to the area.

Absentee landlords do not have a vested interest in the community. They do not care what effect their property has on the community. As long as they are making a profit, they are happy.

The question is what can you do as a community member when an absentee landlord sets foot in your area? The biggest mistake you can make is to think there is nothing you can do. By doing this you are allowing the landlord and the tenants of the property to take control of your neighbourhood.

There are a couple of routes you can take to address the issue. First and foremost, report to the police activities of note that are occurring in and around the property. This includes things such as noisy parties, fights, suspected drug deals, prostitution, or anything else that you feel the police should be aware of.

If these issues are recurring, please forward your concerns onto myself via email or phone. Call, on top of reporting them, to the general complaint line to ensure police attendance at the property.

The EPS Report a Drug House program can also be utilized. If you believe the property is being used as a drug house you can report this on the EPS website www.edmontonpolice.ca. The Report a Drug House link will give you tips on identifying drug houses and walk you through the process of reporting them.

The question is what can you do as a community member when an absentee landlord sets foot in your area? The biggest mistake you can make is to think there is nothing you can do. By doing this you are allowing the landlord and the tenants of the property to take control of your neighbourhood.

You can also make reports to Edmonton Bylaw for untidy and unsightly properties. This is very effective in putting pressure on the property owner to have the area cleaned up, as Bylaw will pressure them to clean up the property.

For more information on what to report to Bylaw, how to report to Bylaw, and some specific examples of what to report, call 311 or visit the City of Edmonton’s website at edmonton.ca, type “residential bylaw complaints” into the search box, and click on the first link that comes up in the results.

Safer Communities and Neighborhoods’ Unit (SCAN) is another useful resource for communities. SCAN is a unit created by the Alberta Sheriffs in 2008 to address properties that are negatively affecting the safety of a community through criminal activities such as drug use/sale, unlawful consumption/sale of alcohol, prostitution and gang activity. They accept complaints through their toll free complaint line 1-866-960-SCAN (7226) or online by filling out their online complaint form. This form and more information on SCAN can be accessed on their website at www.scan.alberta.ca.

SCAN works with the EPS to address complaints but will only accept complaints from the community. Make sure you report properties to both SCAN and the EPS.

I have recently begun noticing an increase in problem houses run by absentee landlords in Boyle Street and McCauley. I need your help to address these issues.

Please forward complaints to me as well as Bylaw and SCAN. By doing so, we will make it difficult for these landlords to operate in the area. We will continue to make this a safer community.

_Cst. Walkom can be reached at (780) 421-2603 or via email at michael.walkom@edmontonpolice.ca