Residents at London, Ont., care facility say bedbug, cockroach drawback persists as they face lease hike

Residents at a private care facility in London, Ontario, say they face a big rent increase as the bedbugs remain rampant, while a Bruce Residence spokesman says it could be weeks before the bedbugs are eradicated.

Both local residents and workers recently expressed concern about the bug problem that CBC News described in September.

“We have bad bed bugs. We have nasty cockroaches. It’s bad,” said Chuck Pearce, 57.

Pearce has lived at the Hamilton Road facility for two years after a traumatic head injury took him to hospital. He now suffers from occasional seizures.

The rent has gone up. It’s inflation. After all, we are a company.– Joe Todd, Bruce residence

He receives a $1,090 check for the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) each month. Until recently, he was paying $800 in rent, but that’s up $200, leaving Pearce with less than $100 left after his food and housing bills are paid.

“We don’t have anyone to help us at all,” he said.

Bruce Residence is an informal residential care facility that is a municipal classification. (Rebecca Zandbergen/CBC News)

“Rents have gone up. It’s inflation,” said Joe Todd, a spokesman for Bruce Residence who is also the chief operating officer.

“After all, we are a company.”

Bruce Residence is governed by a City of London statute and has 49 units – there are currently 13 or 14 beds vacant, Todd said.

At the time CBC News first spoke to residents about the bug infestation, Todd said Bruce Residence owner Ethan Eswaran was unavailable for comment. Todd admitted there was a bug issue but said he’s new to the position and plans to work to address it.

“We’ve got some new cleaners on board and they’re doing a great job,” Todd, who remains as spokesman for Bruce Residence, told CBC News this week. “Everything is clean and sparkling. We’ve brought in a new pest control service that checks monthly. It’s going much better.”

If you went into the kitchen, you could see them in the kitchen, the cockroaches. They were everywhere.– Christina Corey, former house manager

Todd said he hopes the facility can fully eliminate the bug issue by January.

City of London spokeswoman Jo Ann Johnson said staff inspected the facility in early October and there was still a pending order for the owner to address, although she would not say what it was.

Todd didn’t want to say it either.

“It’s between the owner and the city. It’s nobody’s business.”

Bruce Residence, seen in this photo, has “a new pest control service that is reviewed monthly. Things are already going much better,” says the Chief Operating Officer. (Rebecca Zandbergen/CBC News)

chase down rent

Christina Corey, a 14-year Personal Support Worker (PSW), started as a house manager at Bruce Residence last month but quit after just a week on the job.

“Everything was a mess when I walked in,” she said.

The bugs were everywhere, Corey said.

“They were all different sizes. Size. Small. People even had them on their walkers.”

In the short time Corey worked at the residence, she was responsible for hiring cooks and cleaners and attracting more tenants. She also had to dispense medication, as did other staff, she said.

Christina Corey has been a Personal Support Worker for 14 years. She recently took a job as a house manager at the Bruce Residence, but quit after a week. (Submitted by Christina Corey)

“That shocked me too,” Corey said. “The medicines are simply delivered to the kitchen and the kitchen staff, who have no training, distribute medicines.”

Corey also recalls having a conversation with the facility’s owner, Ethan Eswaran, about tenant rent.

Eswaran bought the Hamilton Road property three years ago and operates three other similar developments in Strathroy, St Thomas and Mount Brydges.

“His conversations were, ‘You have to change the rent and you have to go after everyone who owes rent,’ and that was all he cared about, was the money part, right?

“Some of them didn’t even have money left over for their medication, which they paid for. And they didn’t get a proper rent increase notice,” she said.

Ricky Williams, 44, moved into the Bruce Residence in December 2021 following heart surgery. (Rebecca Zandbergen/CBC News)

ongoing problems

“My bugs are gone but unfortunately the roaches have taken over,” said Bob Campbell, 73, who has lived at the Bruce Residence for about a year and a half. “They occupy my top drawer and if I have food in the room, they come in.”

Campbell’s rent won’t change because he already pays more than most people, he said.

“I get so bad [by bugs] and I can’t go to sleep. It’s driving me nuts,” said tenant Ricky Williams, 44. He moved into the building after undergoing heart surgery in December 2021.

Williams’ legs are covered in blotchy red and purple spots – bug wounds, he said.

“They keep getting bigger and bigger, and this one’s really swollen,” he said. “Orange and yellow juice started oozing out of me. Both legs – they’re bad.”

Ricky Williams shows the wounds on his legs that he believes were caused by bugs. (Rebecca Zandbergen/CBC News)

Private member bill to be submitted

“We’re really concerned about vulnerable individuals and the way they are being exploited in these facilities,” said Jeff Burch, NDP Niagara Center MPP.

Next week, Burch hopes to submit a private member’s bill at Queen’s Park. It’s called The Protecting Vulnerable Persons in Supportive Living Accommodation Bill and would license dozens of private care facilities in the province.

Burch estimates that there are more than 30 provincial-level unregulated households in Ontario. Some, like Bruce Residence, are licensed by city statutes, others are not. All, he argues, would be better served if the province oversaw them.

Burch’s bill would include a complaint and inspection record, as well as a daily fine for owners if their facilities are not provincially licensed.

The NDP first introduced the legislation in 2018 and again in 2020, but was unsuccessful each time. Burch is confident this round will be different.

“We’re trying to put aside partisan politics and persuade the government to do the right thing. It’s not about politics; it’s about people suffering from pretty serious conditions.”