BAD NEIGHBOURS GETTING EVICTED

Legislation Allows Investigators To Clean Up 'Problem Properties'

For years, neighbours suspected drugs were being sold out of two
apartment units at 18 Randall Ave.

People came and went at odd hours, there was often fighting and
shouting, windows were smashed and doors were repeatedly kicked in.

"They were not good neighbours," said a nearby resident, who wished
not to be identified.

On Aug. 18, the long-term tenants were evicted by plain-clothes Nova
Scotia Justice Department investigators as part of the Safer
Communities and Neighbourhoods Act, which came into effect last January.

Since the public safety investigation section went operational in
April, residents have been evicted from 19 houses for selling drugs.

'A little surprised'

"We were a little surprised by the number of complaints we've had,
especially that there are such a large number from the more rural
areas of the province," said Fred Sanford, a former Halifax Regional
Police officer who heads the section.

"It's an indicator that criminal activities aren't just occurring in HRM."

The section's three investigators - all former police officers - act
on confidential complaints about houses where suspected drug sales,
illegal sale of alcohol, prostitution or illegal gambling are going on.

"We have to prove the activities are happening on or near a property
and they adversely affect the neighbourhood," Sanford said.

The windows at the apartments at 18 Randall Ave. are boarded up to
keep looters out. Children's toys are scattered on the lawn. The
other tenants in the building are still scared to talk about their ordeal.

"We were just glad to get rid of them," said another woman, who also
wished not to be identified.

"They were basically prisoners in their own home," Sanford said.

"That was a very bad place in that community. We received a number of
complaints and I know the police had as well. It had been a problem
address for quite a period of time."

Sanford said residents are appreciative of the work his team is doing.

He thinks being evicted might be a bigger deterrent to drug dealers
than a date in front of a judge.

"It's a great deterrent to someone when they lose their place of
residence and are forced to move," he said, adding he doesn't think
it's just moving the problem to someone else's neighbourhood.

"If they move and start participating in the same type of activity,
we'll do it again and hopefully they'll get the message that it is
not going to be tolerated in Nova Scotia."

The new act lets investigators avoid a lot of red tape and
processing, which can be time consuming.

"We're able to take action within a relatively short period of time
to get the community some relief from the situation."

Three other provinces - Yukon, Manitoba and Saskatchewan - are also
experimenting with similar legislation.

Making communities safer

Finding a way to shut down "problem properties," where drugs are sold
or other illegal activities take place, is an important part of
making communities safer, said Halifax Regional Police deputy chief
Chris McNeil.

Police can enforce the law, but lacked the legislative clout to
actually force property owners to clean up problem buildings. The
safer-communities legislation and Sanford's unit have filled that
beyond everyone's expectations.

"They taken what was once a source of great frustration and filled
that gap," McNeil said.

- - With files from Richard Dooley

The Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act came into effect last January.

Since April, the public safety investigation section that enforces
the act received complaints about illegal activities going on in
residences across the province.

Here is the breakdown:

Halifax Regional Municipality: 37
Cape Breton: 12
Kings County: 11
Lunenburg: 6
Pictou: 5
Hants: 2
Queens: 2
Colchester: 2
Yarmouth: 2
Cumberland: 1
Antigonish: 1