Re: Eel Ground woman says mould is driving her from her apartment

[Guest guest]

Often, an owner refuses to make repairs. In that case, the state HAS

to step in and do them.

The alternatve is condemnation, which in many areas where housing is

tight, would give the owners an incentive to not maintain buildings,

in the hope that they would be condemmed and cleared of tenants.

A city stepping in can hire contractors and get the work DONE without

people losing their homes.

On Mon, Aug 4, 2008 at 7:29 AM, tigerpaw2c <tigerpaw2c@...> wrote:

> Eel Ground woman says mould is driving her from her apartment

>

> Monday August 4th, 2008

> Miramichi Leader - Miramichi,New Brunswick,Canada*

> by s

>

> An Eel Ground woman says a mould infestation has all but driven her

> from her apartment, and neither the building's owner nor the band

> council is doing anything about it.

>

> " I know if a good health inspector walked into that building,

> they'd shut that building down, because it's bad in there, " said

> Tammy .

>

> A visit to 's basement apartment on Wednesday confirmed that

> mould along some parts of the base board had grown to such

> proportions that it had developed into furry tubules. Parts of the

> carpet were also infested.

>

> said the building has always been damp, and she and her

> boyfriend had recently begun to notice a smell, but the mould itself

> was discovered by accident only a few days ago.

>

> Fans now run constantly in the apartment, and most doors are closed

> to prevent the smell from spreading.

>

> Meanwhile, is taking refuge at her mother's place.

>

> " It was getting to the point where you couldn't breathe in here, "

> she said. " So ... I said just grab our clothes; come back the next

> day, grab what we can. That's all we've been doing: grabbing what we

> can and then [leaving] ... because if you stay here too long, you

> just feel nauseated. "

>

> Since moving in with her mother, said, her breathing has

> improved. But, she adds, a lack of space in her mother's home,

> concerns over the mould's effect on her possessions and an

> anticipation of starting school in the fall make a resolution to the

> problem crucial.

>

> " They have to relocate me or help me with something, " she

> said. " What if I couldn't come here to my mother's? It's really

> tight in here, so it's not like I can continue to stay here. "

>

> She said attempts to get the building's manager to provide her with

> a dehumidifier were rebuffed. She added several of her neighbours

> have also complained about mould in the basement, as well as leaks

> in the roof.

>

> When she called the band council to arrange a visit from a health

> inspector, she was told she had to wait until August 14, as Chief

> Ginnish, who is away on vacation, has to authorize it.

>

> " He could pick up the phone today and call somebody and say, `Could

> you go down and take a look at that apartment?' " she said. " But ...

> he's on vacation. "

>

> Building superintendent confirmed the mould problem,

> but said it is up to building owner Francis to deal with it.

>

> Francis could not be reached for comment, but Eel Ground band

> councillor Kenny Larry said the band has been negotiating with

> Francis to take possession of the building.

>

> Larry explained the band is required by law to provide an investment

> guarantee on all apartment buildings constructed on the First Nation

> that provides for the band to take possession of a building in the

> event its owner can no longer afford to keep it.

>

> However, Larry added, he did not know if the current negotiations

> were a result of insolvency on the part of the owner, or were being

> conducted for some other reason, noting that until any negotiations

> were complete, the building remained the owner's responsibility.

>

>