Capital Daily for Saturday, September 19

The 11-storey tower at Claude Road that pushed 96 renters out of their homes in April 2023 is coming down. Centurion Property Associates confirmed this week it will demolish Ridgeview Place, also known as Danbrook One, after years of engineering assessments couldn't make the foundations safe.

The building has sat empty since Langford rescinded its occupancy permit for a second time. The first time was just before Christmas in 2019, after an engineer not involved in the project flagged structural flaws and the province's professional engineers association opened an investigation.

Centurion bought the tower in August 2019 and says it didn't design or build it. The company is suing the seller, builder, structural engineer, engineering firm and the City of Langford, alleging negligence. The city won't comment while the case is before the courts.

Mayor Scott Goodmanson called it deeply disappointing news, and the loss lands in a downtown already tight on housing, across the street from the Royal Roads Langford campus that opened last year. Centurion says it plans to rebuild a residential community on the site but hasn't set a demolition date or shared designs.

On Aug. 26, investigators from B.C.'s gang unit were watching a home in the 700-block of Belton Avenue in Vic West, suspecting firearms and a large quantity of drugs inside. Then the situation moved faster than the paperwork.

A group the unit believes was tied to a rival crew showed up, and someone fired a gun. No one was hurt. The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, VicPD, the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team, and Saanich police contained the scene and arrested several people.

Inside, a search warrant turned up roughly 19 kilograms of suspected fentanyl and other drugs, two loaded firearms, a cattle prod, multiple cellphones, and about $3,000 in cash. The people arrested are known to police and have since been released pending further investigation. No charges have been laid.

The unit only announced all of it Friday, nearly a month after the shot was fired.