AHS posted details of the home, located at 321 Squirrel St., on its public website and said the facility’s maximum number of occupants was “exceeded.” “The maximum capacity of 16 people was exceeded. A total of 42 beds and/or mattresses were counted in the facility,” the order states. Additionally, the health inspector found several other issues, including holes in the home’s walls, leaks and dirty faucets in need of maintenance, and a basement dwelling that had no windows. The executive order says the squatting situation inside the home violates Alberta’s minimum housing and health standards. As a result, AHS ordered the property’s owners to make changes inside the home, specifically to address the extreme number of beds. “Remove the bed in the windowless basement room,” AHS said. “Remove extra beds/mattresses so that no more than 16 tenants are accommodated and maintain a maximum of 16 tenants thereafter.”
BANFF’S RACE WITH AFFORDABLE HOUSING
According to city of Banff officials, the mountain community has faced housing challenges for decades, fueled in part by a near-zero vacancy rate in rental housing. An affordable housing complex, located on Coyote Lane, opened in 2018 and was jointly funded by the city and provincial government. Karen Sorensen, who was Banff’s mayor at the time, said a large percentage of the community’s population is under 35, while its median income is below the Alberta average. “We have a great need to accommodate people in an affordable way. We rely a lot on a younger generation to run the city,” he said during the opening of this facility. “It’s the people who work in the tourism industry. We have to make sure everyone is comfortably housed.” CTV News has reached out to Banff’s current mayor for comment on the situation and will update this story when those details are available. (With files by Kevin Fleming)
