A non-profit seniors’ building in Sudbury is under an order to remedy the vermin infestation happening, but tenants say it’s not just the bedbugs and rats, but also weapons and drug use that are jeopardizing the safety of their homes.
The tenants at Twelve Elgin, the downtown building formerly known as Christ the King, describe non-residents sleeping in the lobby and common areas, and using drugs in the stairways.
They say they’ve found weapons all over the property, including a hatchet found in the stairwell, and that one tenant was assaulted in the lobby.
But also, the seniors told Sudbury.com they are concerned about what they see as a constant dismissal of their needs by the property manager, Luxor Management Inc.
It’s gotten so bad that tenant Steve Tysick began a Tenants’ Association for his building. Another tenant, Bill McElree, reached out to Sudbury.com. Tysick has been gathering photos and information about the suffering of the tenants for more than a year.
McElree also sits on Greater Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre's Older Adult Advisory board; he said that’s why he is unafraid to speak up.
That’s not the case for the other 16 tenants that Sudbury.com spoke with.
They said they are afraid of the homeless people who shelter in their building, as well as the substance users, but most of all, they fear their property manager, Joey (last name unknown), who manages the building on behalf of Luxor Management Inc.
Sudbury.com attempted to contact Joey at Luxor Management Inc. He did not return our call.
All the tenants agreed that the property manager is unprofessional to say the least: two spoke of him referring to them as “pain-in-the-f–king ass old lady,” and one senior was called a “f–king c–t," when she asked for repairs to her smoke alarm, which is tied into the electrical of the building. When six months had passed with no repair, she said she asked Joey again for the work she requested. The tenant said he berated and swore at her.
She told Sudbury.com she was “terrified” and went to purchase a battery-powered alarm so she would be protected, “and not have to talk to him again.”
(Of note, while Sudbury.com toured the building, there appeared to be no posted evacuation procedures and no emergency information, which should be present, per the law.)
Five of the tenants we spoke with said the manager has repeatedly threatened to evict them, stating he would serve them an N5 notice.
In fact, McElree recorded the property manager doing just that while Sudbury.com was outside the building speaking to other tenants. McElree was recording Sudbury.com’s interviews and incidentally caught the interaction.
McElree had been posting notices about an upcoming tenants meeting on each floor of the building, he said, and because of this he was told, politely but firmly, that posting notices on the walls, rather than on the bulletin board on the second floor, was not allowed; if he did so again, he would receive an N5.
An N5 notice is issued when a tenant “interferes with others' enjoyment of the property, causes damage, or over-occupies the unit,” and can lead to eviction.
But while all the tenants we spoke with — and the 86 tenants who signed a petition against their property management company — knew about and were experiencing problems with bed bugs, not many knew about the City of Greater Sudbury’s recent issuing of an “Order to Remedy Non-Conformity with Standards for Maintenance.”
The order was issued to the property owners by city Bylaw inspectors on Aug. 8, demanding it be brought up to standards by Sept. 8 or face up to $100,000 in fines.
While the order must be posted all over the building, per the law, neither the tenants, nor Sudbury.com saw the posters. We took a tour of the whole building, inside and out, and no postings were seen.
In fact, the only copy we have seen of the order is one that McElree said he took from a Municipal Law Enforcement (Bylaw) officer while they were being posted. McElree provided this copy to Sudbury.com.
Order to Remedy by Sept. 8
With an inspection date of August 8, the order to remedy lists Sept. 8 as the deadline for required action.
The posted order describes the non-conformity as “Vermin Control.”
- Every property shall be maintained so as to be free from vermin, rodents and injurious insects (i.e. bed bugs and cockroaches) and conditions that may promote an infestation at all times.
- Any method used for exterminating rodents, vermin and insects or any combination thereof is compliant with the provisions of The Pesticides Act.
The building owners must take required action to “provide copies of ongoing pest control efforts from a licensed exterminator, of any/all on site assessments and any/all treatment schedules.” They must also “provide confirmation from a licensed exterminator that property is free from vermin, rodents and injurious insects and conditions that promote infestations.”
The conditions that promote infestations were present during Sudbury.com’s tour of the building, including what appeared to be food crumbs in corners of the elevators and in the tracks at their opening, and a lack of vacuuming on carpeted common areas.
Additionally, Sudbury.com noted the stifling heat upon entering the building proper, and was shown two operable outdoor air conditioners that we’re told have not been turned on; the tenants say they were told two months ago that an electrician must turn on the units, but Luxor has yet to bring one in.
The heat serves to exacerbate the scent of rotting garbage that centres around the garbage chute, located behind a small door next to each elevator on each floor, say tenants. Insects were observed in the area in and around the chute.
Several tenants identified Greater Sudbury Pest Control as the company contracted for their pest control; each described this name on a t-shirt worn by the exterminator.
It is the same company described by the tenants at Centreville Non-Profit housing at 285 Lourdes St., who are experiencing an elevator shutdown, in addition to insect issues. Both buildings are managed by Luxor Management Inc.
Greater Sudbury Pest Control does not appear to have a web presence, only a phone number. Sudbury.com called and left a message, which has not been returned.
The tenants Sudbury.com spoke with said there is supposed to be weekly spraying for bedbugs and any requests above that, such as new issues with vermin, are made through work order. But those requests don’t usually result in spraying until weeks later, said the tenants. Some said the exterminator would often not show up, or show up outside of the appointed time.
The tenants said Greater Sudbury Pest Control is contracted and arrives on Wednesday each week for two to three hours. In this time, the exterminator is supposed to treat 156 apartments.
The bed-bug issues are clear on the skin of a new tenant, a resident of Twelve Elgin for only one month.
Though he was also afraid to use his name, for fear of losing his housing, he told Sudbury.com he was placed in the building by a veteran’s assistance program.
He had served his country, but became homeless for a long time, he said. He was sleeping rough in Sudbury until 30 days ago when he got his apartment at Twelve Elgin.
Within two weeks, in what he was told was a newly-cleaned apartment, he was overwhelmed with a bed-bug-infestation so bad he is now covered in large red welts, and said the itch is overwhelming his senses.
In fact, while he said he never wants to be homeless again, he has slept outside the last few nights in order to avoid the bug bites.
Security: both inside and out
The tenants Sudbury.com spoke with said they are overwhelmed with people who are homeless sleeping in common areas and some looking to use or sell drugs in the building.
The Facebook page run by Tysick features a number of photos of people, with many grocery or garbage bags full of belongings, sleeping in the building’s lobby, common area and laundry room.
As well, weapons have been found in the stairwells, laundry room and outdoor areas, say tenants.
Though there is a security door, one tenant said she was assaulted in the main entrance by a stranger who did not live at the building. The woman said she did not know why he came at her and she is still terrified to move through the building alone.
Another tenant said her daughter is unwilling to bring her grandchildren to visit her out of fear of the infestation and the trespassers.
The maintenance manager who last worked in the building in 2023 is on trial for sexual assault and failure to comply with bail terms for what Tysick said is an assault against another tenant.
Tysick said a female tenant, who is confined to a wheelchair, contacted him through the tenant’s association Facebook page and told him about the assault.
Both she and Tysick filed a police report and the evidence she kept and the case is now before the courts. (Their accusations have not been tested and the accused is innocent until proven guilty.)
**Correction. Some details previously published are covered under a publication ban and have been removed.
The tenants we spoke with, some who had lived in the building more than a decade, said they have lost their love for their building, and they are increasingly feeling isolated from each other and the in-building community they had created.
All outdoor areas are gated and either due to the door’s location or an extended curb, they are inaccessible for anyone in a mobility device.
The games room has also now been closed, a favourite of the tenants who used it. As well, a tenant-run weekly BINGO night has been shut down due to the heat in the room, the aforementioned lack of air conditioning.
Many of the tenants we spoke with said they have lost hope of it ever getting better.
Twelve Elgin Housing Corporation
The Twelve Elgin building is geared to seniors and has 156 units, some of which are rent-geared-to-income and others rented at market rate (average $1,000 per one bedroom, said the tenants.)
The building at 12 Elgin used to be owned by the Christ the King Parish Development Corporation, but effective Oct. 14, 2022, became the property of Twelve Elgin Housing Corporation.
The directors and officers of the new corporation are listed as: Karla Allen, Franca Bortolussi, Austin Bouchard, Michael Sabo and Elvia Simon.
Sudbury.com was unable to find contact information for Allen, Sabo and Simon, so we left Facebook messages. We left a phone message for Bouchard, which was not returned. We reached Bortolussi, but she declined to comment.
We left a message with Joey, the property manager, with Luxor Management Inc. and did not receive a response.
The tenants association is planning a meeting Aug. 14 at 7 p.m., to be held on the second floor of the building, and they have invited local politicians, including MPP Jamie West, who has confirmed his attendance.
They are hoping to have some changes to the current situation, and to regain the sense of community they miss.
Jenny Lamothe covers vulnerable and marginalized populations, as well as housing issues and the justice system for Sudbury.com.