Northview says crime, vandalism rampant in its N.W.T. buildings

One of the north's biggest landlords is calling for changes to landlord-tenant law in the Northwest Territories, saying it's "drowning in this crisis" of constant vandalism and violence plaguing its buildings in Yellowknife and Inuvik.

"The filth and destruction leave many of these units completely unlivable," said Northview Residential Reit regional director Colleen Wellborn Wednesday.

Wellborn was speaking to a committee of MLAs. Her presentation included photos of units with torn-out drywall, garbage, graffiti and damaged floors.

Wellborn said Northview has spent up to $50,000 to repair a single unit. She said she knows of three units that have required extensive repairs twice in the same year.

"The destruction is constant. Glass is shattered within hours of being replaced. Fire extinguishers and hoses stolen from cabinets within 24 hours. Common areas are smashed and graffitied and stairwells are left littered with trash and cigarette butts."

Northview leases many of its units to social agencies that provide homes for people who would otherwise be homeless, or provide subsidized housing for people on low incomes. Wellborn said many of those tenants are not being provided with the supports they need.

"Our security contractor speaks to tenants regularly and has been told that often individuals are living on the street and accessing the shelter one day, and then placed in a unit the next day," Wellborn told the MLAs. "In some cases, they are given an air mattress, blanket and keys and told to enjoy their new accommodation."

Yellowknife MLA Shauna Morgan suggested that it may be clients from the Housing First program that Wellborn was referring to.

"I guess I would ask if there are instances brought to your attention that someone is being left without any support, I would wonder whether you would bring that to the attention of your Housing First partners and say, 'Hey, there's someone struggling here," said Morgan.

Wellborn said she's in touch with people administering the program but is not that familiar with it.

"I don't really know what the program entails, in terms of I don't know the process of how people are selected or what supports are provided," she said. "I've asked for that information, because I'm curious, but I don't know if it's furniture, job coaching, addictions — I have no idea."

Wellborn said crime is rampant in Northview buildings in the Northwest Territories.

"Violence can erupt at any moment. Tenants and Northview employees routinely stumble into chaotic, high-risk situations with little to no warning," she said.

"Drug dealing and open drug use are so rampant that during a routine inspection, our vice-president of operations was exposed to second-hand crack smoke."

Wellborn told MLAs the rules around tenancy need to change to provide landlords with a faster way to remove tenants that are a danger to the safety of others.

She recommended introducing mechanisms that are in place in Yukon, B.C. and Alberta, where landlords can apply for an emergency hearing for tenants who are endangering life, property or safety systems, such as fire alarms.

She said under the current system, destructive tenants can continue causing damage while Northview pursues remedies under the Residential Tenancies Act.

"This includes waiting months for evictions to be enforced, even after the rental officer has granted an eviction order. This leaves Northview buildings to be destroyed from the inside out."