‘Life adjustments due to mattress bugs’: Tenants plead for Yukon Housing Corp. to promptly tackle issues

91-year-old Michael Brauer is fed up with bed bugs eating him in his home.

He is among some Yukon Housing Corporation tenants who are fed up with feeling physically and mentally stressed, isolated, and overwhelmed by the ongoing problems at 600 College Drive. Those residents who don’t directly deal with bed bugs in their units are horrified when they see what their neighbors are going through.

The News attended a meeting with a group of tenants and some of their family members on the evening of December 23 in a basement common room that some of the residents had decorated for the holidays.

“Supporting Yukoners Through Death and Grief” read a stack of Hospice Yukon pamphlets near the entrance to the room.

Tenants told the news that one person died at the seniors’ complex in November. They said the death was discovered several days after residents reported an increasingly overpowering odor in the hallways.

A renter anonymously told the news that the odor became noticeable and worsened to the point where they started wearing a mask in the hallway, calling the event “terrible.”

The Yukon Coroner’s Service confirmed that the building manager reported one death on Nov. 21. While the coroner’s investigation is ongoing, the death is not considered suspicious.

Yukon Housing Corporation officials did not comment on the death out of respect for the privacy of tenants and their families.

Some tenants are annoyed because, because of their age, they do not feel that their concerns are taken seriously and are not dealt with quickly.

Brauer said he has lived at 600 College Drive since 2007 and is one of the building’s original tenants. His story began in East Germany, followed by what he describes as an “adventurous escape” to the West. In 1953 he emigrated to Canada as a farm hand, later learning English and something about diesel mechanics. He was a photographer and taught technical photography. In 1991 he moved to Whitehorse to work as a picture framer until his retirement.

On December 19, 2018, Brauer was appointed to the Whitehorse Housing Advisory Board for a three-year term.

He said he was “relatively healthy” and “fairly agile”; However, he has been struggling with bed bugs since September.

Brauer said he reacts negatively to bed bug bites. He showed the News photos of his reactions. He went to the hospital when he found the first bite on his neck after spending days in the bush thinking it was a tick bite. He was told it wasn’t a tick bite, but doctors didn’t confirm a bed bug bite.

Then he found another bite.

“I started looking around and actually found a bed bug: my first prisoner,” he said.

And then he kept locating one bed bug after another.

“I try to do what I can protect myself,” he said.

Michael Brauer caught bed bugs in a container. (Dana Hatherly/Yukon News)

The meeting’s tenants noted the amount of money, time and energy expended on eradicating and preventing the spread of bed bugs. Some said they slept with the lights on to limit insect activity at night.

Brauer provided the news with a series of tenant announcements that leave a paper trail of the property manager’s recent effort to step up.

According to the records, on December 9, his unit was checked for bed bugs by Klondike Pest Control. A week later, his unit was treated by the pest control company.

An undated notice indicates that Yukon Housing Corporation employees will place double-sided tape on the sill at the front doors. The statement states that the measure is intended to prevent the spread of bed bugs in the building.

The latest notification is about work on sealing drain pipes under the sink in the bathroom.

On December 27, Brauer emailed that he hadn’t found a bed bug in four days.

“Life is worth living again,” he said.

“The psychological anguish of this whole issue is very real and very distressing. In addition, there is the fear of infection when visiting or visiting.”

Brauer isn’t alone in receiving such reports and dealing with the aftermath of a building infested with bed bugs.

Some renters reported finding bed bugs after treating their units multiple times. They call it a Band-Aid approach by the Yukon Housing Corporation.

Tenants present at the meeting said they want to do more. They feel like they are not being listened to. Their sense of community dwindles as loved ones stay away and tenants avoid common areas for fear of infestation.

“It’s really miserable,” said tenant Ginny Prins.

“Life changes because of bed bugs.”

Some tenants living in the seniors’ complex at 600 College Dr. living, seen on December 23, are feeling stressed, isolated and overwhelmed by the issues at the building operated by Yukon Housing Corporation. (Dana Hatherly/Yukon News)

In October, the news reported swift action taken to deal with potential bed bugs in the Yukon State House. At the time, the Yukon NDP called on the Yukon government to support these efforts by taking faster action against bed bugs in Yukon Housing Corporation buildings.

In a statement Dec. 29, Lester Balsillie, acting director of capital development and preservation, primarily reiterated what the news had previously reported. Balsillie said Yukon Housing Corporation has established procedures to prevent and treat bed bugs.

“Yukon Housing Corporation takes bed bugs seriously because we understand it’s a stressful situation for our tenants,” Balsillie said.

Nine residential units in the building are currently infested with bed bugs, the statement said.

“The drain lines under the bathroom sinks are being sealed as they have been identified as a possible source of bed bug transmission between units,” Balsillie said.

“All bed bug transfer sites will be sealed as soon as they are identified.”

The housing association is dealing with bed bug problems in four of its buildings, down from six in October.

Individual units are inspected on a case-by-case basis when tenants report concerns. A pest control specialist will inspect public areas monthly or more frequently.

Multiple units on multiple floors reporting bed bugs in a building raises a general bed bug concern.

“When this situation arises, a pest control company will be assigned to inspect, advise and treat all units and common areas as necessary,” Balsillie said.

If a renter finds and reports bed bugs in their unit, staff will work with them to provide treatment as soon as possible.

“If for any reason the renter is unable to prepare the unit for treatment, [the corporation] works with them to explore options for support services. If no supports are available, [the corporation] may engage a contractor at the tenant’s expense,” the statement said.

The statement states that the company will cover the cost of treatment and two follow-up visits.

Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com