It might not have been a pipe bomb, but some sort of explosive device went off last week inside an apartment building in Sydney. The explosion is reported to have occurred around midnight last Thursday, in one of the apartments above Amedeo’s Italian Bistro on Townsend Street.
No one was apparently home at the time, and no injuries were reported. A male suspect was arrested at the scene after police arrived. He was questioned, but later released without charge.
Though the incident itself was widely reported, what went unsaid in media articles was that the building belongs to Sydney-area businessperson Douglas Parker Rudderham, also the owner of Nova Scotia's longtime scandal magazine.
The most dramatic media report about last week’s incident comes from CBC’s David Burke, who is the first to mention a potential “pipe bomb.” Burke quotes an anonymous neighbour who heard the explosion.
“I knew it wasn’t a gun shot, I knew it was something a lot louder and with a lot more force,” the unnamed resident tells Burke. The neighbour says visible damage from “shrapnel” could be seen in the walls. and that a police officer reportedly claimed a pipe bomb had been the cause.
The Cape Breton Post later quotes police spokesperson Desiree Vassal that there’s no evidence to confirm a pipe bomb explosion at the residence. Even though CBC updates their story a few hours after Vassal’s comments, they continue with the pipe bomb theory.
“Sources have confirmed that officials believe the explosion was from a pipe bomb, which was set off over drug related issues,” Burke writes. The same anonymous neighbour claims several people in the building are involved in the illegal drug trade.
Strangely, none of the reports mention 100 Townsend's owner. Cape Breton entrepreneur Rudderham owns the property through his company, 3271367 Nova Scotia Limited. Rudderham is also co-owner of Amedeo’s Italian Bistro.
Frank, a bi-weekly Nova Scotian scandal magazine, was purchased by Rudderham in 2010 from former owner John Williams. For transparency’s sake, it should be mentioned that I was one of the first people Rudderham hired as a staff reporter after taking over. It didn’t go so great.
Professional histories aside, it’s peculiar Rudderham’s name wouldn’t come up in any news articles. I severely doubt he was the target of the alleged “pipe bomb,” but an explosion at a building owned by a local business figure makes for great headlines. Especially if that business figure also owns Frank. Even the magazine’s own social media presence hasn’t offered any inside scoops on the alleged bombing.
It’s not like local media is shy about covering Rudderham’s exploits. The CBC, Chronicle Herald, and Cape Breton Post have all featured past stories about Rudderham’s tax issues, accusations of being cyberbullied and vehicle accidents. Stephen Kimber with Metro offers a rundown of Rudderham’s legal history here. Yet a bomb goes off over his restaurant and nary a published peep.
Cape Breton police are still investigating the incident. They ask anyone with information concerning the explosion to contact police by phoning 902-563-5151.
