Housing NWT says it acknowledges the “urgency” of safety concerns at an Inuvik apartment complex and will push for solutions in the coming weeks.
Inuvik Boot Lake MLA Denny Rodgers said he hears daily from tenants at the Nova Apartments, also known as Bompas Place, about drug activity and “deplorable conditions” in the building.
Rodgers said much of the building is given over to public housing, with families and Elders accommodated in some of the 60 or so units.
“I know some of the conditions they’re facing. The RCMP, to their credit, have been doing an amazing job – the best they can up there. I know they’re busy,” said Rodgers in the NWT legislature on Friday last week.
“They’ve made several busts in that building, which is good. Unfortunately, you know, a week later we see the same activity back in the same units.”
Advertisement.
Advertisement.
Housing minister Lucy Kuptana told Rodgers some of her own relatives have lived in the building and the president of Housing NWT, Erin Kelly, had visited the building last week to see conditions for herself.
“What she has proposed to do is meet with the landlords, the leaseholders, and have a discussion about safety and security in the building – amping that up because of all the illegal activities happening within the unit and the concerns from the tenants,” said Kuptana.
The exact steps to be taken were not clear. Rodgers had suggested providing full-time security in the building.
Pressed by Rodgers to give a timeline for action, Kuptana added: “With the urgency of this concern and considering the activities within the building itself, I’ve asked the president of Housing NWT to have a discussion over the next month.
“Hopefully we’ll hear something within the next few weeks.”
