KJIPUKTUK (Halifax) – Unhappy tenants and their supporters gathered outside a large apartment building on Kennedy Drive in Dartmouth, owned by Metcap Living. Leaking roofs, broken elevators, bedbugs, roaches and ants are just some of their health and safety concerns.
The rally was organized by ACORN Nova Scotia, an organization that supports people who live on low incomes.
Poverty and housing activist Jodi Brown, who joined the rally and took all the great photos included in this story, tells the Nova Scotia Advocate that the rally went well.
“It was a small group, lots of tenants didn’t know that it was happening,” says Brown. “It was nice to see politicians there.” Both councillor Toni Mancini and Dartmouth North MLA Susan Leblanc made an appearance.
The elevators not working is the number one issue, says Brown, although things have improved since one new elevator was installed a couple of weeks ago. The other elevator in the building remains unreliable. But mould, bugs, leaking roofs, and staircases and utilities in various states of disrepair are also part of a long list of tenants’ complaints.
Broken elevators indeed caused a lot of grief to Sarah, who needs a walker and as she lives on the top floor is effectively housebound when the elevator doesn’t work.
Sarah is without income at this time, caught up in a transition from short term to long term disability supports that should be seamless, but isn’t mainly because, unable to leave her top floor apartment due to elevator problems, she missed crucial medical appointments, Brown says.
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