Patrick Lindsay looked on as the place he called home for seven years was ripped apart by an excavator that started taking big bites out of the green roofed townhouses Wednesday.
Lindsay calls the demolition of his River Run townhouse in Eau Claire unnecessary because of the uncertainty around the future of the troubled Green Line LRT project.
“They didn’t need it for transit in the first place,” he said.
“Once it became clear transit likely wasn’t going to River Run, they kicked us out and now they’re destroying [it] to make sure we can never go back in our homes.”
The city, which expropriated the downtown properties in 2023 and ordered residents out by May 31, 2024, defended its decision to demolish the complex.
In an email, a spokesperson for the Green Line project said vacant properties pose a safety risk.
“The removal of these buildings will decrease the potential for safety and security issues, while fulfilling contractual obligations,” the email stated.
Holly Gibney, the senior manager of public relations and partnerships, emphasized the original 46-kilometre vision of the Green Line hasn’t changed, even though the latest proposal from the provincial government stops several blocks away from Eau Claire.
“The future needs of the project may include the [Eau Claire] lands which the city has already acquired,” Gibney said in the email.
‘Robbed of our homes’
Another former owner says it’s an emotional time for the tight-knit River Run community.
“We’ve been, you know, robbed of our homes, of our community and our livelihoods in this excruciatingly painful process. And now we’re seeing them destroyed. So lots of anger and sadness amongst the the former homeowners,” said Joel Gaucher during an interview on the CBC’s Calgary Eyeopener.
Gaucher described the 30-year-old complex as an oasis in the heart of the city, next to the Bow River. There were four L-shaped buildings that wrapped around a private courtyard.
“We had this large interior courtyard space, which we used for a lot of events, birthdays and celebrations. We got to know each other quite well and became very close friends with a lot of my neighbours in the close to two decades that I was there.”
Fighting for ‘fair compensation’
While the city says the complex should be reduced to rubble over the next several weeks and the old parkade filled in, the dispute over how much the city paid for the townhouses will continue.
The province confirms 20 of the former 23 owners have filed applications for “determination of compensation” with the Alberta Land and Property Rights Tribunal, a government agency that oversees the expropriation process.
The River Run complex was expropriated for the Green Line LRT project, with 23 homeowners forced to leave, but it’s uncertain whether the land will ever be needed for a transit line.
The former owners say what the city gave them for their townhouses isn’t enough to purchase a comparable property.
In response, the city said in an email to CBC News that expropriation is never the city’s preferred method of acquisition and that it “always endeavours to negotiate mutually acceptable agreements with impacted property owners.”
The city declined to comment on the process now underway with the tribunal.
“The expropriation process and claims before the Land and Property Rights Tribunal are ongoing legal matters. Out of respect for the parties involved and the legal process, the city cannot make any further comment at this time.”
If the former owners and the city agree, the dispute could be resolved through mediation or proceed to a hearing.
“All we want to discuss is fair compensation and we haven’t had that conversation,” said Lindsay.
Police, firefighters used complex for training
Calgary police confirmed that members of its tactical team used the complex for “high-risk scenario” and “explosive” training exercises since residents vacated the property last May. The Calgary Fire Department also confirmed that crews used the complex more than 100 times for various training exercises.
The tac team exercises, which included the use of so-called flash bang devices, triggered at least one noise complaint from a nearby resident.
Lindsay says it was disrespectful to see emergency crews use their homes after the owners were “kicked out.”
“That’s where our home [was], there’s original owners who moved there in 1995. And to see police setting off bombs inside your homes, windows being smashed, doors being smashed, it’s terrible, it’s insulting.”
As for the demolition, the city says the scope of the work includes the demolition and removal of all above-ground structures, the below-grade parking structures, the building foundations and all vegetation and hardscaping within the complex.
The city is hoping to have the site backfilled by mid-March.
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