Roaches spoil family’s new home

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This article was published 24/02/2023 (1052 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A young family is frustrated that they have to leave their new apartment after finding cockroaches in their unit just weeks after moving in.

Maurice Taillieu and Abdiza-mani Tacan say that Manitoba Housing should have treated their unit before they were allowed to move in three weeks ago and that the treatment process leaves them with few options for where to go when they have to leave the unit for the fumigation on Tuesday.

“The thing that makes us really mad is that this apartment was open for months and months … but they didn’t even do anything about it and they knew there was cockroaches in here,” Taillieu told the Sun.

The couple, who have a seven month-old son together, say that they found cockroach traps behind the stove of the unit and in the basement, which they say indicates that Manitoba Housing knew about that the unit had a bug issue. They also told the Sun that their neighbours had their unit treated for cockroaches previously.

The process to treat the cockroach problem requires tenants to leave the unit for up to 12 hours after the treatment and to not wash shelves and drawers for 21 days.

But the bugs weren’t the only problem when the couple and their baby moved into the unit on Garwood Drive on Feb. 5. Tacan says that there were issues with the heating, the dryer, and the hot water during their first week. A call to Manitoba Housing quickly fixed the problems, but then a week later, the couple noticed a cockroach on the wall by the stairs. Two days later, they saw another bug crawling near their TV.

Tacan and Taillieu say that property manager Paul Anaka told them that he was not aware of the cockroaches prior to the couple moving in.

Anaka declined the Sun’s request for comment.

The couple were waiting in an emergency shelter for six months before they got the unit. What was supposed to feel like finally having a place to call home turned out to be riddled with things that needed fixing and a big bug problem.

“When do we get a break from this?” Tacan told the Sun. “I just want to be home and be comfortable with my family. I don’t know when that’s going to come now because there’s always a little problem.”

The couple says that they don’t know why the issues weren’t fixed and the cockroaches weren’t treated before they moved in. Now, they face uncertainty about where to go while their unit is fumigated.

“I have a seven-month-old and I was homeless before,” Tacan said. “I don’t want my son and my family to be homeless. I just don’t want that, that’s my biggest fear.”

Additionally, the couple is concerned about the health of their infant son, who is just learning to crawl, when they return to the unit after the chemical treatment.

Manitoba Housing did not respond to requests from the Sun for comment. But an emailed statement from the province said that Manitoba Housing does not provide alternate accommodations as part of pest treatments.

“Tenants are not given any direction to ‘not touch surfaces for 21 days’ but there is information recommending residents ‘do not wash off cupboard shelves and drawers for 21 days after treatment.’ Tenants may wash off kitchen counters, stove and fridge tops, and bathroom counter tops with soap and water,” the statement said.

Still, Taillieu and Tacan are frustrated with the fact that the treatment that could have been completed before they had moved in, especially after finally being able to get themselves out of the shelter and start a life as a family in a home.

“To finally be comfortable, to finally call it a home [but] once we were getting comfortable, it was every little problem coming,” Tacan said. “When do we get a break?”

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