Every night at 6 p.m. the news hour starts, and last Friday Trouble Shooter Julie Matthews featured Barb Bell and her notorious house on Global Edmonton News.
Bell had been in contact with Matthews for several months and she watched the story of Bell’s house unfold, and the community’s reaction.
“As the Trouble Shooter we receive about 100 complaints daily of story ideas from Albertans,” Matthews said. “Those stories can take us to pretty much any community. We cover all types of problems from utility issues to landlord and tenant disputes.”
Global’s Trouble Shooter newscast covers a lot of contractor related problems and they take Matthews to numerous towns.
“Barb’s story really isn’t any different from any other complaint that we receive, but we felt it was worth a trip up here,” Matthews said.
Matthews and her cameraman spent last Thursday at Bell’s house in Hees Estates, knowing she only had three minutes to tell the story of Bell’s two-year problem.
“(Bell) says the Town of Athabasca and its inspectors knew the area was unstable, but still approved the project, and allowed a family to move into a danger zone,” Matthews said on TV. “For Barb Bell, stepping inside her house is heartbreaking. The single mom hasn’t lived here in more than a year.”
Bell can’t believe she only lived in the house for 28 days, and entering the house today, the carpets are still spotless, and it has that new house smell.
“After large cracks were found in the basement, Barb and her sons moved out,” the newscast said, “Officials with the Town of Athabasca said they were unable to comment because this case is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit. But in an email the town CAO says they hired and relied on the Inspections Group Inc. to issue building permits and carry out all required inspections on the Bell property. The town says it isn’t liable for any negligence.”
“I bought this in good faith. It was our dream home and 28 days later we got a nightmare, two years later I’m still fighting the nightmare,” Bell said on TV
