Bridgeland business owners are raising concerns about dangerous activity in the area after another fire broke out at an abandoned building at 38 4 Street N.E. over the weekend. “The building right across from us has been an issue for a while. They (homeless people) have been breaking in, and, honestly, it seems like a hangout spot for them,” said Kindling Cannabis owner Daniel Howlett, whose business is directly across from the building where the fire broke out. “I’ve seen the cops chase them out from behind the building a few times, and the fire department has had to come in quite a few times. It’s getting so bad that they’ve had to board up the building more than once,” Howlett continued. “We see a lot of overdoses, people passed out. You don’t know if they’re passed out or sleeping until you do a wellness check on them. We do a lot of phone calls to Alpha House, 911 and Calgary Police non-emergency,” said Bratopia owner Colette Hamon. The fire in the abandoned building resulted in one person being taken to hospital in serious, life-threatening condition. The Calgary Fire Department says the person was inside the building, and its Arson Unit is investigating. The building had been boarded up, but the fire department believes the person entered through a window on the side. Responding crews had to cut through a boarded-up door to get inside. The Calgary Fire Department says there have been four reported fire incidents in the area in the last 30 days. Howlett says the possibility of increased fire activity as the weather gets colder is a major concern. “I’m worried about my place getting set on fire. I’ve told my staff where the fire extinguishers are just because it’s an actual concern for me. Even just a few days ago, there was somebody setting a blanket on fire right next to our building,” Howlett said. “Not long ago they (homeless people) were just across the street in front of another business cooking drugs on a stove. There’s so many things you see that with time we do get desensitized to it, but there still is a very risky aspect to all of it,” Hamon continued. Hamon said that earlier on Nov. 2, she saw two people in her parking lot, one of whom appeared to be in serious condition. She called an ambulance and was told the person was OK, but says drug and substance use in the parking lot can affect her business. “I’ve had break-ins, I’ve had vandalism, I’m very sensitive to it as well. The minute I drive by a business that has a boarded-up window, I know why that board is there,” she said. The concerns raised by businesses such as Bratopia have also left some owners frustrated with the Bridgeland Business Revitalization Zone (BRZ), also known as a Business Improvement Area (BIA). “It’s a tax we’re paying to the City of Calgary; I don’t feel that the fees have been used properly, and I know there’s a few of the members that are looking to actually have it disbanded,” Hamon said. “There’s other BRZ’s, they’ve taken those funds and pulled them for extra security, garbage pickup, and many things that help those areas thrive and be much safer,” she continued. ‘Need another lifting hand’ John Cymbal, a longtime area resident, says he regularly sees people experiencing homelessness around his home and throughout the community. “I see a lot, I’ve met these people, a lot of these people do have a crushing life, and they are good people, but they just need another lifting hand,” Cymbal said. Cymbal said he knows it is a complex issue but hopes to see more facilities and places for people experiencing homelessness to stay. He added that he believes the Calgary Drop-In Centre is doing its best but has too much to handle. “Who’s there to help them? The doors are closed and they might be short staffed in these facilities too,” Cymbal said. “We need more service out there. We need more of a direction for these people than not just picking up the phone and getting the same thing every day,” he continued. City council response Ward 9 Coun. Harrison Clark says he and city council have been “working tirelessly” to “figure out what the best course of action is between the break-ins, the fires, and social disorder.” “It’s been quite the fight. I can say positively that we have been able to increase our mountain bike patrols or our MBU units with CPS (Calgary Police Service), and I know that was something that had been advocated for a long time,” Clark said. With the city’s budget coming up, Clark said safety will be a major priority for council. He said determining what that looks like will require careful consideration, adding that the issue cannot be resolved simply by providing more money to certain groups. “We need support, both provincially and federally, to tackle this situation, because we can throw 350 million more dollars at CPS, but if they have nowhere to put them, if our justice system can’t support it and our health care system can’t support it either, then what are we doing?” Clark said. Clark also described fentanyl as a “kind of drug that we have never seen before,” saying the impacts of the drug present another challenge. “This is brand new territory, so how we deliver a result that delivers a safer neighbourhood for all, it’s front of line. It’s on the top of the table in terms of what we need to do,” Clark said. On Hamon’s concerns about potentially disbanding the BRZ, Clark said it was unfortunate to see, noting that BRZs and BIAs were initially created to “help draw commerce and community activation and events.” However, he said safety concerns have forced the organizations to move away from their original mandate. “Now the BIAs are pivoting to having to manage the safety crisis in response, so it’s incredibly disappointing,” Clark said.
