West Edmonton residents raise safety concerns about abandoned property after years of trouble

Offensive and degrading.

That’s how residents of west Edmonton’s La Perle neighbourhood are describing an abandoned property that’s been a problem for nearly two years now.

The home was left without any care and has been deteriorating.

Now neighbours are asking city officials to take immediate action.

“It’s unacceptable,” said Clarence Elias. “It has sunk way below the minimum standard that we should have for a suburban community in the wealthiest province in Canada.”

Neighbours say the house on the corner of 97 Avenue and 187 Street is in very bad shape, with sidings falling, a torn-down fence and mold on the trees.

They’re calling it an eyesore, but are also raising safety concerns, especially with it being close to an elementary school.

“Kids are walking by. It’s unsafe,” said Bill Bowers. “The trees are rotting. There’s just so many things, red flags that are breaking bylaws left and right.”

The property was sold in July 2024. According to documents provided to CityNews, it was supposed to be turned into a daycare, but the development permit was dissolved in October 2025.

“The safety of the kids is huge and there’s a lot of them. This school runs at full capacity,” said Elias.

For the longest time, a large hole could be seen outside the home’s garage, where the driveway used to be. Two people were seen Tuesday morning covering the hole, after almost two years of it sitting uncovered.

“Looked like a swimming pool in front of the driveway,” Bowers said.

CityNews spoke to a mother to who said while she was walking by the property with her son last month, he was injured after tripping on the fence.

“My child tripped on the feet that was holding the fence in because it wasn’t flat with the sidewalk,” she said. “So when he tripped, he fell and he got the brunt of the force on his knees. So he cut up both of his knees really badly, and they were bleeding. “

In a statement to CityNews, the City of Edmonton says its inspectors conducted a “proactive site visit” on Sept. 2 and determined “the property is properly secured.”

“Once a property is secured, the property owner is not required by the city to redevelop the site,” the statement reads.

“Enforcement is calibrated to the condition of the property and uses escalating measures such as warning letters, orders, and tickets to gain compliance.”

Neighbours Bowers and Elias want answers.

“I need visibility on what’s happening with this property,” said Bowers.

“It’s scary to realize that no one is in charge,” added Elias. “Where are the people who are responsible for this?”

Area residents say they’ve made multiple complaints to the city through 311 and by contacting the councillor, but no action was taken.

CityNews tried to contact the owners through the realtor who helped them buy the house, but didn’t immediately hear back.