AHS shuts down Canmore luxury home, scene of police raids, guns, drugs

CANMORE – Alberta Health Services has shut down a home in Canmore’s posh Silvertip neighbourhood, where there have been several police raids looking into a hotbed of criminal activity and neighbours’ complaints of people coming and going at all hours of the day and night.

In early February, a joint Banff and Canmore RCMP investigation ended with a major firearms and drug bust at the 129 Silvertip Ridge home, resulting in charges against four people, including local resident Austin Clark Desylva, 27, who was involved in a police shootout in Canmore later that month.

Accompanied by RCMP and other agencies, Alberta Health Services (AHS) visited the premises for an initial inspection on Sept. 19 and found a laundry list of conditions which are or may become “injurious or dangerous to the public health or which might hinder in any manner the prevention or suppression of disease.”

The inspection found water had been shut off to the house, a moldy baseboard behind a toilet, non-functioning lock on a door to outside, missing railing guards on outside decks, a smoke alarm only omitting a faint noise when tested, some taps weren’t working, dirty carpet and an area at the back of the house was closed off with plywood – among others.

James Wood, a spokesperson for AHS, said between Sept. 19 and Oct. 18, several offsite assessments were conducted based on conversations with, and observations by partners, including RCMP, Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods, EPCOR and Town of Canmore.

He said following a conversation with EPCOR confirming that water to the property was disconnected, a closed for tenant accommodation order was issued on Oct. 18.

“If AHS learns that people are living in a residence despite it being under a Closed for Tenant Accommodation Order, it could proceed by issuing a letter from the AHS legal team to the owner of the residence advising of the legal obligation to comply with the order,” he said in an email.

“Legal action can be escalated if necessary, should a property owner fail to comply with an order.”

In the raid on the Silvertip home on Feb. 4, following an investigation that began in December 2022 of unlawful possession of a firearm, a search warrant was executed on the Silvertip home with the assistance of the RCMP Emergency Response Team.

During the search, RCMP seized three shotguns, two of which were loaded; two loaded handguns, several rounds of ammunition, 260 grams of cocaine and $800 in Canadian currency.

RCMP arrested and charged Desylva with pointing a firearm, 20 weapons offences, possession for the purpose of drug trafficking and possession of property obtained by crime.

Three other men, aged 36 to 45, all residents of Canmore were also taken into custody and released on recognizance.

Then on Feb. 24, Desylva was shot in the face in a police shootout, ending a manhunt through wooded areas in the Larch neighbourhoods of Canmore. 

The drama began when a Banff RCMP officer conducted a routine traffic stop at about 11:15 p.m. that night.

During the incident, there was heavy police presence in the area near the Engine Bridge along the Spur Line Trail, multiple areas on Larch Avenue and the intersection of 11 Avenue and 15 Street close.

RCMP asked residents to stay in their homes and avoid the area for about 90 minutes.

Canmore RCMP officers, heavily armed emergency response team officers, a helicopter circling the area and more than a dozen marked and unmarked police cruisers were on scene.

An ambulance arrived at about 1:10 a.m., leaving at 1:15 a.m. with an unmarked police car travelling with it to the Canmore General Hospital. STARS air ambulance was dispatched to airlift Desylva to hospital in Calgary.

No police officers were injured during this incident.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) took over the investigation. A spokesperson for ASIRT said this week the investigation is still open, with no timeline for completion.

Canmore RCMP say they are unable to comment as the matters are before the courts.

The Town of Canmore has been called to the 129 Silvertip Ridge home on numerous occasions.

According to the Town, the municipal enforcement department has responded to two complaints this year. The first was related to a vehicle leaking fluids and the second was about garbage left outside that could prove to be an animal attractant.

“In 2023, the municipal enforcement department issued a ticket for the wildlife attractants in July and coordinated the clean-up of the property due to its proximity to the nearby wildlife corridor,” said Caitlin Miller, protective services manager for the Town of Canmore.

Miller said a mix of warnings and tickets have been issued in previous years related to abandoned vehicles left on the road for 72 hours, snow and ice complaints and unsightly property concerns related to garbage.

She said those go back to 2017-18, noting there were no municipal case files for the property between 2019-22.

“We continue to work with the RCMP, Alberta Health Services, and other agencies to ensure public safety in the area,” she said.

Desylva has a preliminary hearing related to the police shootout scheduled in Calgary Court of King’s Bench for four days beginning Dec. 18 and a preliminary hearing on the drugs and firearms offences is set for Calgary Court of Justice June 17-19, 2024.  He remains in Calgary Remand Centre.

The owner of 129 Silvertip Ridge, named as Robert Andrew Rose in the Alberta Health Services order, could not be reached for comment before press time. He does not live in Canmore.