Why Remember?

We must remember. If we do not, the sacrifice of those one hundred thousand Canadian lives will be meaningless. They died for us, for their homes and families and friends, for a collection of traditions they cherished and a future they believed in; they died for Canada. The meaning of their sacrifice rests with our collective national consciousness; our future is their monument.

Turn up the sound and enjoy; Remembrance Day.wmv (6.05 mb)

Reports 'tip of the iceberg,' says detective 

By Stephane Massinon, Calgary HeraldNovember 11, 2009

The recent downturn in housing prices has started to reveal the scope of mortgage fraud in Calgary, said investigators at the Alberta Mortgage Fraud Symposium on Tuesday.

As financial and law enforcement officials gathered to discuss the growing trend of mortgage fraud, experts said it's an issue that's becoming more common and often can be tied to marijuana grow ops and organized crime."We are getting numerous reports coming in; I think it's just the tip of the iceberg," said Det.

Ronda Ruzycki of the economic crimes unit of the Calgary Police Service.Ruzycki said when Calgary was booming, mortgage fraud -- lying to obtain credit or money from banks or lenders -- became more prevalent.

It works when the perpetrator convinces someone to sign for a property they'll never live in, though technically own, and be paid thousands of dollars for signing the papers. These are straw buyers.Some perpetrator will get a mortgage, keep the money, and let the banks go after the straw buyer once the payments stop.Others fraudulently inflate the house price a few months later and find another straw buyer to purchase it at the higher price and pocket the increase.

"Sometimes it is flipped several times between different straw buyers and eventually they will be sold to innocent parties out there in the public," said Ruzycki."With the economic times coming into a decrease, you can't continue to flip that property because the banks aren't going to finance it, because they know the properties aren't continuing to increase in value. And they can't sell it to an unknown buyer," said Ruzycki.Calgary-based RCMP Sgt. Conal Archer said "with the recession, the houses are now devalued and these places are going into foreclosure.

When they take them into foreclosure, they find out that the person they actually thought upheld the mortgage and actually owned the house wasn't that individual after all."When property prices were skyrocketing through Calgary, inflated prices didn't seem as suspicious and it was easier to sell to innocent buyers who believed all prices were quickly rising.

Archer said the houses in mortgage frauds are sometimes used as marijuana grow ops, operated by organized crime groups.Though investigators and the financial industry believe mortgage fraud is likely on the rise, none could provide data of how much it's rising. Archer said banks and lenders are reluctant to share information on the extent of the problem. "They're all large businesses and they have their own interests to look after," said Archer.

Doug Robinson, Scotiabank's manager of fraud prevention, said that across the country, mortgage fraud has been on the rise for the past decade."It's caused all the lenders to be more careful and put a lot more time and effort into scrutinizing the loans," said Robinson.

"The bad part is organized crime groups from every community have become involved in mortgage frauds, and these people are, for the most part, very professional in the way they deliver the applications to the lenders. It makes it very difficult for staff to see the loans and see them for what they are," he said.

smassinon@theherald, canwest.com© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald 

MaxWell Realty " Community connections create affinity"

By Stephane Massinon, Calgary Herald November 11, 2009 

When police arrived at a suspected marijuana grow operation Tuesday morning, what they expected to find were the illegal plants. However, after entering the home on Somerset Crescent S.W., they were struck by the overwhelming smell of propane. It was coming from a broken propane line connected to a carbon dioxide generator.

"It could have had very devastating consequences if the propane had ignited," said Insp. Kevin Forsen of the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams.The Calgary Fire Department was called to the house and it was cleared of the flammable gas."Our big concern is marijuana grow operations and the risk they pose to the community and neighbouring residences. We're very, very fortunate the investigator (identified) that smell," said Forsen.

The combination of power supplies and heat sources needed to keep the plants warm can add up to a dangerous situation, said police.When investigators re-entered the home, they found a grow operation that had 1,616 plants with an estimated street value of more than $2 million.

The house was empty at the time and no arrests have been made. The house was deemed unsafe for human habitation."A large grow op is now out of business, and a serious threat to public safety has been eliminated, making for a safer and more secure community," said Alberta Solicitor General Fred Lindsay in a statement.

smassinon@theherald, canwest.

com© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald