Article content Christmas is looking sparse and uncertain for more than 60 residents — including about 25 children — displaced by the city’s shutdown of the Edmonton apartment building where a security guard was killed Dec. 6. Boards were nailed over windows Monday as the City of Edmonton declared the 36-unit building at 10603 107 Ave. unsafe for human habitation. As recently as Sunday night, there was an overdose in the building — and residents say another security guard had been attacked with bear spray just days before security guard Harshandeep Singh, 20, was shot to death in a stairwell. Evan Rain and Judith Saulteaux, both 30, have been charged with first-degree murder and possessing a prohibited weapon in relation to Singh’s death. ‘Serious safety concerns’ David Jones, manager of the City of Edmonton community standards branch, said the difficult decision to displace residents two days before Christmas was made in consultation with the Residential Inspection Safety Compliance Team (RISC), the Edmonton Police Service, Edmonton Fire Rescue Services, Alberta Health Services, and Occupational Health and Safety. “The building has been the site of numerous violations, and we have been provided with substantial evidence of non-compliance with business licensing conditions that were put in place to protect people living in and visiting the building,” said Jones in a Monday afternoon statement. “After a thorough assessment by our city’s Residential Inspection Safety Compliance team ... we determined that immediate action was needed to protect building residents. “The safety and well-being of residents, neighbors and the community is our top concern. Unfortunately, safety concerns have escalated with two separate shooting incidents, one resulting in a fatality, and conditions in the building have deteriorated in the past month,” he said. “This decision was not taken lightly, but ultimately this is not a safe space for the residents, especially children and their families. The building poses an imminent risk to residents, those visiting the building and the public in the immediate area.” He said the city, in partnership with the Government of Alberta and the Canadian Red Cross, is providing immediate temporary housing and transportation for all evacuated residents. The City of Edmonton is the entity responsible to carry out the emergency order under Section 551 of the Municipal Government Act to immediately close the property, relocate the residents and board up the building. “Specific issues impacting the safety and well-being of residents include significant safety and security concerns, building management, neglect of those concerns, inadequate maintenance and an active pest infestation, to name a few,” said Jones. “The safety and security issues were tragically emphasized on December 6, when a security guard working at the building was shot and killed on site. Since then, the city has received concerning information, leading us to conclude that the safety and security of the building have not improved, and that there remains a serious risk of harm to people living in or visiting the building. “Until the safety, security and public health issues are addressed, the property poses an imminent and unacceptable safety risk.” Jones added that the city is doing everything it can to move resident families and individuals into safe, temporary housing, and is working with partners to secure long-term housing for them. “Any time a decision is made to evacuate people from their homes, the city applies great thought and consideration to the circumstances,” Jones said. The apartment building will remain closed until safety concerns are resolved and the property owner meets the business licence conditions for health, safety, and security. Businesses on the first floor in the same building are not impacted by the residential closure, Jones said. The city has had an open investigation on the property. “Significant efforts have been made to incentivize and compel building management to address concerns and incremental progress was being made. However, over the last five years and through 60 inspections, 25 citations have been issued in relation to the property and numerous serious issues remain unresolved,” said a Monday afternoon news release issued by the City of Edmonton. “The issues identified include significant safety and security concerns, neglect of maintenance, active pest infestations and other conditions that severely compromise the safety and well-being of residents,” the release said. ‘Always on guard’ Troubles beset the residents of the building before and after the fatal shooting of 20-year-old security guard Harshandeep Singh. Just days before the NorQuest College business major was slain in the stairwell, another security guard had been blasted with bear spray. “Three days before, another security guard got bear maced by somebody upstairs,” said Tammi Comeau, a building resident who called 911 after she and her son heard the Dec. 6 gunshots that led to Singh’s death. Now temporarily housed in a double-queen hotel room along Gateway Boulevard in south Edmonton, the Comeaus including their dog Fancy, await news from Homeward Trust of another rental property. Comeau said she felt huge relief leaving the building at the corner of 107 Avenue and 106 Street. “I was always on guard there,” she said. A rampant cockroach infestation wasn’t even the worst problem plaguing the residents. After the family moved into the building on their arrival from New Brunswick, it became clear their new home had issues. Comeau said she has administered Naloxone to revive one of her neighbours while crack and meth in the building were readily available and overdoses, including one Sunday night, were common. She said her family is also dealing with fixing their work truck after its windshield was smashed out but she feels for other families from the building who not only are displaced but have no Christmas tree or presents to put under it for their children. jcarmichael@postmedia.comDonald Trump is returning to the world stage. So is his trollinggbet casino 。

Yes, it's illegal to take pictures of a movie at the theatersFederal officials are investigating how a Tesla Cybertruck crash killed three people in Northern California last month. A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration spokesperson confirmed that the agency is aware of the crash and is gathering information from law enforcement and the manufacturer. The NHTSA is the agency in charge of reviewing incidents involving automated driving technology. The Cybertruck comes with Tesla’s Autopilot driving feature, which includes driver-assistance technology, and the Full Self-Driving system is optional. It is unclear if the driver was using the Autopilot feature at the time of the accident. The California Highway Patrol, which is the agency leading the crash investigation, has seized the vehicle for their probe. On Nov. 27 around 3:08 a.m., the Piedmont Police Department got an iPhone alert from a passenger in the Cybertruck about a crash, Piedmont Police Chief Jeremy Bowers said at a news conference. Dispatchers then got a 911 call about the crash at Hampton Road and King Avenue. Officers arrived to find the Cybertruck engulfed in flames and another driver pulling one of the passengers out of the car, Bowers said. There were four people inside the Tesla; three were killed and the fourth was hospitalized in stable condition. The Tesla had “jumped the curb, struck a cement wall, and then wedged in between the wall and a tree,” Bowers added. “Speed was likely a contributing factor” in the crash, he said. It’s the second fatal crash involving a Cybertruck in the U.S., with the first occurring in August near Bayton, Texas. In that crash, the Cybertruck driver veered off the road for an unknown reason and hit a concrete culvert, resulting in the vehicle going up in flames. The 2024 Cybertruck model has garnered 21 complaints to the NHTSA for issues including broken windshield wipers and a stuck accelerator pedal. Tesla didn’t respond to a request for comment. The deceased in the California crash were identified as 2023 graduates of Piedmont High School who had returned from college for Thanksgiving: Soren Dixon, Jack Nelson and Krysta Tsukahara. The fourth person hasn’t been identified. Dixon was a sophomore biological sciences major at USC. “Soren had a boundless enthusiasm for life and was known for his infectious smile, his love of family and friends, his passion for sports, and his deep affection for all animals, especially his dog, Ruby,” according to his family’s statement. “Soren lit up a room, made friends easily, smiled and laughed often, and had a unique ability to make everyone feel welcomed and valued.” Nelson, a sophomore at the University of Colorado, Boulder, was “an exceptional athlete and loved the outdoors, often spending his free time on adventures from the ocean to the mountains,” according to his family’s statement. Tsukahara, a sophomore at the Savannah College of Art and Design, was “known for her kind and sensitive heart, love for her family and friends, and for her incredible eye for style and design,” according to her family.

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Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield reverses decision to put a time limit on anesthesiaTrump inauguration 2025: How to get tickets to attend the January eventThe Liberal government is pulling out the federal wallet to put more money into people’s pockets over the holidays, but its recently announced affordability measures create winners and losers. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Thursday that the federal government will remove the goods and services tax on a slew of items for two months, starting Dec. 14. But in provinces where the provincial and federal sales taxes are blended together into a harmonized sales tax, Canadians will get a larger break. The federal government also plans to send $250 cheques to Canadians who were working in 2023 and earned up to $150,000. That means Canadians who were not working in 2023, including those who were receiving social assistance or were in retirement, will not be sent a cheque in April. In the House of Commons on Friday, NDP MP Peter Julian called the government out for not including Canadians with fixed incomes. “Why are Liberals excluding seniors and people with disabilities from the real help they need this holiday season? Why won’t Liberals help them, too?” Julian asked during question period. At a news conference on Friday, Trudeau said that the federal government has already stepped up to help the most vulnerable Canadians and that it is now time to give a hand to workers. “Over the past number of years, we have been extraordinarily present in helping the most vulnerable Canadians,” Trudeau said, mentioning the boost to old-age security for seniors aged 75 and older and the Canada Child Benefit. “But as I travel across the country, I do regularly hear from working Canadians who are having trouble making ends meet, but saying, ‘look, I don’t have kids. I’m not a senior yet, and I’m facing challenges.’” The GST break, which is expected to cost the federal government $1.6 billion, will apply to a number of items including children’s clothing and shoes, toys, diapers, restaurant meals and beer and wine. It also applies to Christmas trees — both natural and artificial — along with a variety of snack foods and beverages, and video game consoles. Meanwhile, 18.7 million people will receive a check this spring, costing the government about $4.7 billion.

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