Some tenants of Northview Residential REIT apartments in Yellowknife say they’re frustrated by the condition of their units — and they’re not assured by the landlord’s promise to make improvements.

Marie Mantla has lived in Northview’s Fort Gary apartment building for about a year now, and was previously living in the company’s Dorset Apartments, also in Yellowknife. She says she’s had issues in both buildings that were never fixed by the landlord.

She says there is now water damage in her apartment, from an apparent flood in the building on Friday.

“It’s all over my ceiling, towards the back of my kitchen,” said Mantla of the water damage in her public housing unit.

She says she’s sick and has been burdened with headaches and a cough while living there. She’s concerned about mould.

“When I open my cupboard I can just smell it. It’s worse and worse … I don’t feel good.”

Mantla says the Yellowknife Housing Authority is working on moving her into a new building.

“I’m just tired of Northview. They don’t look after the building, even with the flood, they didn’t do anything … They didn’t ask me what’s wrong with the ceiling, they just left it like that.”

Amanda Mae Shaw is also a tenant at Fort Gary. She wrote to her MLA to complain of the flooding incident on Friday, describing “a failure of basic property management and oversight.”

She wrote that despite paying rent for housing, tenants endure “conditions that resemble an abandoned property.”

Shaw details other problems that go beyond inconveniences, saying the laundry room has been unusable because of broken machines, the elevator has not being operational for more than a year, and the property is not safe or secure. 

Other Northview tenants have spoken out in the past about poor living standards and upkeep at some buildings.

CBC News requested an interview with Northview’s regional manager but did not receive a response before deadline.

Shaw posted to social media a notice she received from Northview on Friday, acknowledging “significant and ongoing issues” at its buildings. It cites “persistent vandalism, vagrancy, broken windows and doors, damage to equipment, and challenges keeping up with regular cleaning and maintenance.”

The notice states that Northview is making improvements, including adding security resources, assessing additional repairs needed for the elevator at Fort Gary, and making changes to staffing and management structure. It does not mention any flooding at Fort Gary.

The notice also says Northview’s goal is to improve communication with residents, and the “overall quality and condition” of its buildings.

Tenants association ‘worried for the tenants’

Lisa Thurber, founder of the Tenants Association Northwest Territories, says the notice from Northview is reason for optimism, but she also has concerns about potential flood damage at Fort Gary.

It’s not clear what happened or how much water damage there may be. That’s a concern for Thurber, who worries that the building could need extensive work.

“In order to restore anything, what does that mean?” Thurber asked. “I’m worried for the tenants at Fort Gary.”

The former Northview Sunridge building in Yellowknife, now called Sa Naio, underwent repairs and renovations after a fire last year. It later reopened with a full rebrand, with higher prices. 

Meantime, the N.W.T. government is in the early stages of demolishing some public housing units in Yellowknife to build new, safer public housing units on the lot.

Thurber says most of the Northview tenants she hears from already have a lot on their plate and poor living conditions are an added burden for many.

“A lot of these tenants have illnesses or are on low income and don’t even have the energy to get from one day to the next, let alone trying to have this fight,” she said.

CBC contacted Housing N.W.T. about public housing tenants in the Fort Gary building. In an emailed statement, spokesperson Vanessa Stretch said Housing N.W.T. has tenants in six units at Fort Gary.

She said Housing N.W.T. has been working to move its tenants into units it owns.

“Yellowknife Housing Authority is working with tenants to relocate tenants from Fort Gary, as well as some other buildings, as soon as possible,” wrote Stretch.

She added that because Fort Gary is not owned by Housing N.W.T., the government agency “can’t speak to needed renovations.”