Tenant group demands better living conditions
Posted Sep 30, 2014 04:08:17 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A group representing tenants is calling for Metcap — a company operating low-income housing in cities across Canada — to start respecting the rights of its tenants, and for the city to implement a landlord licensing system.
ACORN is a national organization of low and moderate income families. Jonethan Brigley is the chair of the group’s Dartmouth chapter, and a tenant at a Metcap building.
He says Metcap is infringing on tenants’ rights. He and other tenants say security is a serious issue at their buildings, with robberies going unsolved, and people from other buildings using the laundry facilites. Brigley says tenants have been asking for security cameras for months and the company doesn’t respond.
Lisa Fairn is a Metcap tenant as well. She says she’s been waiting over a year for repairs, and that isn’t uncommon in her building. She says the building manager needs to “step up and do his job.” Fairn says she’s only seen him twice, and is unrepsonsive to tenants’ questions.
News 95.7 reached out to Metcap’s Dartmouth office for comment, but they did not immediately respond.
Brigley says his group will fight for tenants’ rights.
“Everywhere in Canada, including Nova Scotia here, people will stand up if they feel like their own living conditions are not met, their own basic rights… The only thing people can say that’s good about Metcap is how affordable their rent is,” he said.
Brigley delivered a letter he and some other members of the group had written to Metcap’s office. The company did not have an immediate reponse for him, just saying they’d pass the letter along to management.
Brigley says he’s hopeful they’ll get back to him to set up a meeting, but he’ll be contacting them if he doesn’t hear back soon.
Jennifer Stairs with the city says there are currently no plans in council for landlord licensing, and the idea hasn’t come up in a few months.