The Edmonton apartment building where a security guard was killed last week had been cited nine times in the past two years for health and safety violations, including the presence of cockroaches, mould and faulty heating systems, Alberta Health Services records show.
Tenants also reported human feces and used needles in common areas.
Harshandeep Singh, a 20-year-old international student from India who had recently started work as a security guard, was shot and killed in a stairwell at 10603 107 Ave. early last Friday morning. A family spokesperson said Singh had been on the job for just three days, leading some to question why he appears to have been working at the high-risk location alone.
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. Records for their current charges show neither lived in the building where Singh was shot. Rain is listed as having no fixed address. They are due in court Wednesday for a bail hearing.
Postmedia repeatedly requested court records about any previous charges and convictions but had not received a response as of press time Tuesday.
Heat, bug and waste problems
The four-storey, colourfully clad apartment building in Central McDougall — currently for sale for $7.9 million — was well-known to public health inspectors prior to the shooting.
According to AHS records, the building’s owner, Vuong Van Tai Holding Inc., was issued nine work or closure orders under the Public Health Act in the last two years after inspectors found dozens of health and safety hazards in suites and common areas
Health inspectors identified problems in 32 suites in an April 20, 2023, work order, including:
- cockroach infestations
- missing or inoperable smoke alarms
- mouse droppings in multiple furnace/air conditioning rooms
- damaged walls, windows, ceilings and flooring
- mould and water damage
- leaking and non-functional refrigerators
- an improperly ventilated windowless room being used as a bedroom
- urine/ammonia odour in a basement area
- a “syrup-like” substance sprayed on walls of a stairwell
The order imposed deadlines for certain repairs and instructed that all vacant units should remain unoccupied until a successful re-inspection.
Later AHS orders identified other problems:
- a stairway landing “soiled” with “human feces, used needles, drug paraphernalia, garbage and urine.” The floor in the front entranceway had a “large red stain.” Other stairwells were “littered with needles, drug paraphernalia and garbage.” Neither the emergency exit door nor the roof hatch were secured (Nov. 14, 2023)
- “Occupants of two separate units within the building reported that the power supply to their unit had been disconnected by the property owner. The power disconnection affected adequate heat supply. The same occupants reported that the unit’s door lock had been removed by the property owner.” (Feb. 5, 2024)
- “The thermostat was not secured to the wall and the wires connecting the unit to the power supply were exposed. The tenant within the unit indicated the heat worked only intermittently, and that contact with the thermostat in the past had resulted in electrocution.” The unit also had no working smoke alarm and a cockroach infestation. (March 11, 2024)
- a tenant reported the furnace had not been working since January 2024, while a bedroom window, when unlocked, “was loose within the frame and stood a risk of falling out.” (March 11, 2024)
- “The toilet within the unit was not properly secured to the floor and may not be properly sealed. The tenants of the unit indicated the toilet would flood the space (with water coming from below the toilet) when flushed.” The unit also reported a cockroach infestation, mould in the dishwasher and a malfunctioning refrigerator. (March 20, 2024)
AHS did not respond to a request for comment by press time Tuesday afternoon.
Postmedia attempted to contact Vuong Van Tai Holding through realtors and a former lawyer but did not hear back.
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