City of Edmonton set to acquire 'daily reminder' of 2010 Lago Lindo tragedy
Residents who have lived in the north Edmonton neighbourhood of Lago Lindo for 11 years would likely remember June 20 of 2010 well.
It was on that day that a house explosion rocked the community. The blast was so powerful that it shook items off store shelves blocks away from its epicentre.
In the aftermath, four bodies were recovered from the rubble created by the explosion, two houses were leveled and $3.5 million in damages were caused to 40 others.
An investigation revealed 47-year-old Cathie Heard was already dead before the explosion, a victim of strangulation at the hands of her common-law husband Dwayne Poirier.
Police determined Poirier caused the house to explode when he tampered with the home's natural gas line.
Next-door neighbours Craig Huber and Brad Winter were also killed in the blast, along with Poirier.
Now, 11 years later, the land where that exploded house once sat serves as a difficult reminder of that Sunday, for neighbours who remember.
“We have to look at this property every year, every day, and we’re tired of it.”
That's the sentiment next-door neighbour Bernie Meunier expressed to CTV News Edmonton when asked about the land.
Meunier says his wife was home that June day in 2010, but managed to escape unharmed.
"My wife was in the house," he said, "and she got out, barely, and it’s awful for her. We’re fed up with this."
'THE CITY SHOULD COME IN AND DO SOMETHING'
The lot remains vacant, but for an overgrowth of weeds and a notice from the city that's addressed to the property's deceased owners, instructing them to clean those weeds up.
Edmonton city councillor Jon Dziadyk posted a video to social media last week to protest the state of the property, and the city's response to it.
"The city should come in and do something," Dziadyk said in the video. "Since being on council, I've tried to get the city to acquire this property, which as you can tell, it's not being maintained well."
"This is a daily reminder for those that live around here," he added.
CTV News Edmonton captured an interaction between Dziadyk and a man who identified himself as Brad Winter's father, near the vacant lot.
"You’ve been elected for four years," the man shouted at Dziadyk. "The last three years, you’ve known about the situation and you’ve done nothing.”
But now it seems something is being done.
According to internal city emails sent to Dziadyk and shared with CTV News Edmonton, the city will soon become the interim owner of the land in the area of 180A Avenue and 91A Street through the “tax forfeiture process."
Once that happens, according to one of the emails, the city will put the parcel of land up for sale.
Perhaps some good news for Meunier.
“I want this cleaned up so we can look after our house and move on," he said. "This is a reminder every day and I am tired of it.”
In a written response, a City of Edmonton spokesperson confirmed the tax forfeiture to CTV News Edmonton.
"This is not full ownership but is a form of interim ownership allowable under the (Municipal Government Act)," the statement read in part. "The documentation is in the process of being sent to land titles."
The city spokesperson was unable to give any timelines for the tax forfeiture process.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Dan Grummett
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
B.C. theatre to pay $55K to neurodivergent actor in discrimination case
British Columbia's human rights tribunal has awarded a neurodigergent actor, who was diagnosed with sensory and learning disorders, more than $55,000 after finding that a Kelowna theatre company discriminated against him because of his disabilities.
Who's responsible for regulating cannabis stores operating under the sovereignty banner?
It's not quite clear who is supposed to be regulating so-called sovereign cannabis stores or even ensure they're benefiting Indigenous communities.