August has been a difficult months for residents at a low-income apartment building downtown.
On August 1, tenants at the 102 year-old MacDonald Lofts located on 105 Avenue near Rogers Place were told that their rent was increasing by $300.
This past week, Alberta Health Services deemed six of the building’s units unfit for human habitation, citing evidence such as “extensive cockroach and bedbugs infestation” and “urine and feces on the bathroom floor.”
Four of the suites are already vacant and must stay empty until management fixes all the issues.
One tenant, 58-year-old Larry Engbert, is currently living in a bug-infested suite.
“For every one you kill, there are 10 more to take its’ place,” Engbert said. It just keeps on getting worse and worse … I don’t get much sleep anymore.”
The building’s landlord retracted the rent increase Friday – three days after AHS intervened – but Engbert will not benefit because he is forced to leave by the end of the month.
“I just don’t care because I’m not going to be here,” Engbert said.
With files from Angela Jung
