THUNDER BAY — Some clients of the Thunder Bay District Social Services Administration Board say a bed bug invasion in their building has left them living lonely lives.
They blame the problem on residents bringing infested items into their units at Matthews Court in Academy Heights.
They also point a finger of blame at the Thunder Bay District Social Services Administration Board, which owns the building.
DSSAB officials say a pest control company is currently treating several units as well as common areas where bed bugs have been spotted.
Tenants, however, feel more needs to be done to stop infestations from spreading, and to prevent them from recurring.
"Every time I turn around, somebody else has got them," said resident Theresa Friedl in an interview Monday. "The bed bugs just keep coming back...people keep bringing stuff in here that doesn't belong in here and it's just getting re-infested."
Friedl said one neighbour has waited two weeks for pest control in her unit, and "the hallway was phoned in over a week or two weeks ago, too, because people have been catching them crawling up the wall by the elevator."
She's already had to replace an infested couch, but said people can't afford to buy new furniture every time there's another infestation.
For tenants such as Karen Madsen, however, the biggest impact is on their family life.
"My life is lonely," Madsen told a reporter.
"I can't ask my family to come here. I tell them the problem that's going on in here. They're afraid that I may invite them. I would never. It's lonely and it's terrible."
Madsen said she worries about bringing bed bugs from the hallway into her apartment on her shoes.
"Nobody visits anybody in here. We're all just lonely people hanging out," she said, adding that the anxiety she feels is "nearly unbearable...I didn't think my life, ever, would come to this. I'm just so sad that everyone in here is suffering"
Madsen believes the stress has led to people falling ill, a concern shared by tenant Laura Paglia.
She survived a stroke, and worries she may have another one.
Paglia said she won't invite family into the building because "it's not being kept properly."
She said it's time for someone to take the initiative and say "We have to change this. We have to change whatever we can to make it more comfortable."
Tenants, Paglia said, must be more aware of what they are bringing in to their apartments, but stopping repeated infestations may also require more stringent regulations.
"Nothing gets done. I'm not dissing Housing, but I'm just tired of having to go through this over and over again."
DSSAB issued a brief statement in response to an inquiry Monday about the situation at Matthews Court:
District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board has developed an Integrated Pest Management approach for our housing portfolio, with the help of our community partners. This approach focuses on prevention and education, along with traditional pest treatment methods. At Matthews Court (101 units), some units are currently identified as having bed bug activity. Throughout the month of August, these units and common areas are being treated as scheduled. Follow-up inspections are performed, with additional treatments as required. Random pest inspections are arranged as a preventative measure at all TBDSSAB properties.
In 2010, Public Health Ontario scientists conducted an updated systemic review of the health effects of bed bugs.
According to the health ministry, "What they found in their review was quite interesting: While bed bugs remain a huge public concern, and have a certain gross factor, there is little evidence to suggest that tracking bed bugs should be an important priority for public health officials. Why? Although bed bug bites can become infected, bed bugs are not responsible for transmission of diseases such as hepatitis or AIDS. Their actual impact on health is quite minimal, though bites are unpleasant."
