'We have bats in the wall': ACORN London members speak out demanding better living conditions
A group of Londoners held a ‘tenant speak out’ demanding urgent action for what they say are unacceptable living conditions.
About a dozen tenants of Kipps Lane townhomes say they are fed up with living in substandard conditions.
“Bugs, bats, which I caught two of them – and that was hell,” says Corey Paquette, who has been living in one of the townhomes for the last six years.
Members from ACORN London – an independent membership-based organization that aims to hold landlords accountable - organized Wednesday’s event in the city’s northeast end.
Tenants say the agency responsible for the 206 townhomes at this location, Kipps Lane Property Management - Macdane Group of Companies, has been extremely negligent and disrespectful.
Corey Paquette, a London ACORN member and a tenant living in a Kipps Lane townhome says she has been dealing with bats and bugs since the time a house adjacent got burnt in accidental fire. (Reta Ismail/CTV London)
“Accumulative stress, of having to constantly push to get the slightest thing done, and then on top of it the constant eviction notices that they know aren’t justified,” said tenant Jordan Smith.
ACORN is demanding that the property management company is held accountable as per the City of London property standards.
“Many of these tenants live with things like cockroaches, and bed bugs, and rodents, Sometimes all three all together. Unrepaired units that requests that have been in for years,” said ACORN London member Diane Devine.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Macdane Group of Companies says, “We have no outstanding complaints regarding property standards or the Landlord Tenant Board. We also actively promote Tenants to advise us of any issues so we can address them properly and in a timely fashion.”
But tenants say that’s not the case.
“Nothing is ever addressed, we’ve been asking for new windows since we moved in. We were actually told we were going to have new windows before we moved in, we can’t open any of them they are all busted,” said Shadow Reeves, who has lived in one of the townhomes for the past two years.
Among the complaints, lack of respect for tenants when they do put forth a complain.
“It’s like rolling of the eyes, they just laugh it off, sometimes they laugh at your face at the situation trying to make it lighter than it actually is – it’s appalling really,” said Paquette.
Many of the tenants say they suffer from health issues and moving is simply not an option.
“Can’t afford it, we looked at the rents of the places we used to live, and they’re about three times as much,” said Reeves.
Paquette says she has bats, and odours coming into her unit because the adjacent townhome went up in flames back in March.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
Ippei Mizuhara, ex-interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani, pleads guilty in sports betting case
The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud Wednesday in a sports betting case where prosecutors allege he stole US$16 million from the Japanese baseball player to pay off debts.
Steve Albini, legendary producer for Nirvana, the Pixies and an alternative rock pioneer, dies at 61
Steve Albini, an alternative rock pioneer and legendary producer who shaped the musical landscape through his work with Nirvana, the Pixies, PJ Harvey and more, has died. He was 61.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.