Press Hits

Tenants at 27 Bold St. have been without gas since May 24, when it was shut off after a retaining wall fell into the building. Then, on June 12, the building’s central air stopped working — an amenity they were promised when moving in. Tenants were offered “$350 credit to fund the purchase of portable air conditioners.” But Thorne and Alexander, who have been coordinating with other tenants and advocacy group Hamilton ACORN, said most tenants did not accept it, as the amount wouldn’t cover a unit that could cool their spaces.

Health and safety hazards are part of daily life in Golden Triangle neighbourhood. Paige Nicks, another long-time resident of the building, described the chaos that unfolded shortly after the new owners took over. “They tried to change our locks, which they’re not allowed to do. Then came eviction threats and even legal notices. It’s been relentless,” Nicks said. Nicks says she has since joined the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), a grassroots community group that advocates for low- and moderate-income families, focusing on issues like affordable housing. The tenants established an organizing committee in the building and are working towards systemic reforms, including stronger bylaws against renovictions.

An anti-poverty activist in Moncton was hospitalized for heat exhaustion on Tuesday, just before NB ACORN launched a campaign demanding “A/C for all.” Peter Jongeneelen, co-chair of NB ACORN – a grassroots association of low-to-moderate income people – was recovering at home by Wednesday after being released from hospital. He told the NB Media Co-op that a clause in his lease prohibits window A/C units.

Michelle Arsenault and her family went to the splash pad in Centennial Park a day after the first scorcher of the summer. The world gets hotter every single year and it gets more and more difficult for low- and moderate-income people to just live, to exist in their homes without it being an active health risk,” said ACORN member Sawyer MacNaughton. The group would like to see barriers that prevent tenants from installing cooling devices in their units removed.

As the first summer heat wave hits around the country, a New Brunswick advocacy group (ACORN) is calling on the province to help low-income households access air conditioning. As Anna Mandin reports, the unhoused and elderly residents are facing increased risk from extreme heat.

Kayla Leet spent one of the hottest days of the year so far taping foil to her windows to reflect heat away from her already “baking” east-end apartment…The rest of her one-bedroom unit reached 30 C Monday by the time she broke out the makeshift aluminum sun block. “I remember seeing other people put (foil) up and thinking, oh, that is so ugly. But you know what? I don’t care if it’s ugly,” said the ACORN tenant advocate. “I don’t have any other affordable options to try to stay cool … A lot of people don’t.”