THUNDER BAY – McIvor Court residents held another rally to raise awareness of the terrifying living conditions they face every day.
Tracey McKinnon, anti-poverty advocate and resident of McIvor Court, told Newswatch at the rally on Friday that criminal activity in the building has gotten worse since their last rally in February, which is a reason why only a handful of residents showed up.
She said that some residents were threatened after the last rally and told not to go to the media or hold another rally.
The residents of McIvor Court have had enough of living in extremely unhealthy conditions, said McKinnon.
McKinnon claims that Thunder Bay and District Social Services Administration Board staff are not keeping up with cleaning the building, forcing residents to pick up garbage and vacuum the hallways.
“One of our residents cleaned up, I don't know how many bags she took away, like a dozen at least. It's just the garbage, and that's not her job. She's a tenant. We shouldn't have to be doing that. It should be maintenance,” McKinnon said.
“We got to the point where maintenance can't keep up with the vacuuming, so I vacuum my floor, and I'm afraid to turn my back because I have a dealer across from me. I have a dealer beside me, and their traffic's coming and going there.”
Resident Donald Camus said that the “fifth and sixth floors were the worst,” describing them as riddled with drug and gang activity.
“I was walking to my apartment, and the guy across from me had people knocking on his door at 3 o'clock in the morning. They go in, they stay maybe 10 or 20 minutes, and they leave.
"Now either the guy's an introvert trying to, you know, break the habit that he can only handle people for so long," said Camus, "or he's doing nefarious shit.”
Camus described McIvor Court as a “pre-grave” – a place where people on social assistance are “dumped” and expected to “leave with their feet first.”
Camus’s feelings were echoed by many of the residents who joined in the rally, who said they “truly feared for their lives.”
McKinnon said that DSSAB has two security guards in the building nightly, but only five days a week.
“I don't feel safe opening my door on the weekend, knowing there's no security when I hear kind of traffic and ruckus going on in the hallway. I don't know what I'm going to be opening my door up to, what I'm going to be in the middle of. If someone's going to pull a knife or stab me in the back,” McKinnon said.
Jules Tupker, a member of Poverty Free Thunder Bay, stood in solidarity at the rally.
“I think it's wrong what is going on here. These people are struggling, and they're living in a violent building, and that shouldn't be happening. I think that DSSAB should be doing more to protect these people and to control what's going on here,” he said.
McKinnon alleged that residents are requesting to be transferred to live in another DSSAB building. Her transfer was denied.
“I had a medical letter, and the letter I received back from housing was that I didn't fit the criteria,” McKinnon said.
Newswatch asked Camus if he was considering requesting a transfer. He said, “move where?”
“There's one poor woman. She doesn't understand the idea of a waiting list….and she's all like, 'Well, I'm moving out and stuff.' And people are telling her that the waiting list works on when the person dies, there becomes an available apartment. So, unless you have a really bad winter, you're not going to have a lot of open apartments,” Camus said.
Newswatch reached out to the DSSAB for comment on the rally.
Chief executive officer Ken Ranta said in a statement that the DSSAB “respects tenants' right to organize a demonstration,” but they would like tenants to reach out to the DSSAB first.
“Direct conversations are the most likely to lead to action and/or understanding. In addition, many tenants value their privacy and don't want their home in the spotlight,” Ranta said.
“Friday's rally is a reflection of the frustrations and feelings of its organizers and attendees, which are valid. That said, the event was organized and attended by just a handful of tenants out of a building with 120 units; the majority of tenants did not participate.”
Ranta said tenants are encouraged to speak with the housing staff through tenant meetings, weekly drop-ins, or by reaching out to their tenant support worker or property management team.
“Each month, dozens of tenants at McIvor Court take advantage of these opportunities to talk with housing staff. We are grateful to the tenants who are willing to address concerns with us directly,” Ranta said.
He said the DSSAB is currently drafting an advocacy paper to present at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference in August. The advocacy paper will be another attempt by the agency to appeal to the attorney general for the authority to evict tenants for violating DSSAB’s terms and conditions.
The report will be made public at the DSSAB’s next board meeting on June 19, said Ranta.
