Dear Editor
I have lived in Valleyview Tower II since 2016. The first three years were great; the past three, not so much. For 2019 and 2020 I lived in constant fear, and for much of the time, in terror. I was the victim of sexual harassment and intimidation constantly.
This was reported to the Battlefords Housing Authority immediately. A staff member in charge of the building came to meet with me immediately. I was told not to contact the police, that they would handle everything. I made three written reports to them and spoke with everyone in their office on many occasions, including the general manager. They all said, don’t worry we are handling it, but these things take time.
In February of this year the assailant finally moved out. Shortly thereafter the RCMP came to see me. They said they just received the report and that I should have come directly to them.
This summer I filed a claim with the Office of Residential Tenancies (ORT), and in August I received a judgment against the Battlefords Housing Authority. You can read the ORT decision by following the link on our GoFundMe web page.
The ORT decided that “the terror and trauma that the tenant endured during two of the years of her tenancy does constitute a breach of her right to quiet enjoyment.”
Even though the Battlefords Housing Authority was found in breach of a senior's right to a safe home, the management refuses to make lasting policy change for the Towers. The facts are not being disputed by the housing authority. Instead, they are appealing on a procedural claim.
Everyone in the Battlefords District and indeed, throughout the province is being affected and injured by the Battlefords Housing Authority’s failure to provide senior tenants of Valleyview Towers their human right to quiet enjoyment of their residences.
In the past three years, this housing authority has turned from being an advocate for the poor, disadvantaged and elderly, to putting the safety and security of the senior residents at risk. It has now taken to appealing ORT Decisions to the Court of Queens Bench; a costly endeavour – especially for an elderly person on a subsistence level fixed-income. The fifty-dollar ORT Application fee has already made it next to impossible for many to afford. Without help from others, a senior’s ability to defend themselves against a higher court action is simply not possible.
I am asking everyone who cares about justice, compassion, fair play and community to help. Those of us living in social housing don’t have the financial resources we need to preserve the little bit of independence and dignity that we still desperately hang on to.
It is not just affordable housing in the Battlefords that is at risk. If this government – through the Battlefords Housing Authority — is allowed to quash a decision by the ORT, social housing as we know it in this province will disappear. Tenants will simply no longer have a right to the quiet enjoyment of their home. Everything we have worked so hard for in this province is under threat and attack. If you care, help us stand up for our community today.
Your help — any amount of help — would be greatly appreciated. We could also use some assistance in spreading the word. Most seniors do not have access to the internet and we are not all computer literate. Tell your friends, family, co-workers and everyone you know!
To donate, or learn more go to: GoFundMe “Valley View Towers Senior’s Legal Defence Fund”
Val Ryan
North Battleford
