Manitoba Housing says seniors can stay in Gilbert Park

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Claiming the eviction notices were sent in error, Manitoba Housing did an about face Wednesday and is allowing a group of seniors to stay in the community they’ve called home for decades.

A day after the Free Press reported the senior citizens were being forced by Manitoba Housing to move from Gilbert Park, Minister of Families Scott Fielding called them personally to say they could stay.

Any of the tenants who wish to stay in their current homes will be allowed to do so and the notice they received saying otherwise was sent in error, said David von Meyenfeldt, a spokesman for the provincial government.

But as happy as the seniors were as they gathered to celebrate outside their homes Wednesday, they say they don’t believe the notice was sent out by mistake.

“There is no way this was a mistake,” said 78-year-old Irene Soko. “It was deliberate and they kept pushing it. We wanted a meeting all together to talk and they wouldn’t give it to us.”

Soko and 67-year-old Bev Forbes, both of whom were told they’d have to move, as well as their friend and neighbour Chuckie Brunette, all say they believe the province changed their mind after their story started to get attention.

On the phone with Fielding, Soko says she asked the minister for the promise she wouldn’t have to move in writing. Given that she feels Manitoba Housing has broken promises to her in the past, this time around she won’t feel comfortable till she sees it on paper.

“He said the letter was sent out in error,” continued Soko. “He explained and I said, ‘OK, well will be getting a letter? Because we’re still scared.’”

The tenants will be “grandfathered” into their current units as the size of their households haven’t changed since they moved into them in 2011, which means they are not subject to Manitoba Housing’s over-housing policy.

The daughter of 79-year-old Doreen Thomas was out celebrating with her mom and the other tenants after getting the news.

Barb Desjarlais was raised by her mother Doreen in Gilbert Park and had been involved in trying to fight the decision to move her mother to another part of the city.

She says throughout the two months of trying to deal with the situation, she feels a lack of respect was shown to her mother by the Manitoba Housing property manager, who didn’t seem interested in hearing their concerns.

She, like the tenants, is having a hard time believing this was all just a misunderstanding.

“I’m having a hard time believing that,” she said.

“They all got letters at different times. I hate to think they’d make such a huge mistake, but it can happen. They’re human and we forgive them. But I just hope this doesn’t happen to anyone else.”

According to a provincial spokesman the letters were sent out by accident during Manitoba Housing’s annual tenant lease renewal, an error they deeply regret and apologize for.

When asked for comment on the stress the mistake has caused the seniors over the past two months, von Meyenfeldt said: “Manitoba Housing is sympathetic and apologizes for the misunderstanding. They regrettably received a letter they shouldn’t have.”

He went on to confirm the tenants will receive the promise in writing, but could not comment on why the Manitoba Housing property manager continued to tell the tenants they’d have to move if the letters were sent out by mistake.

The tenants had previously reached out to MLA Cindy Lamoureux (Burrows) when trying to get help to fight the notices they received.

Lamoureux went to Gilbert Park to meet with property manager Debbie Cook Wednesday, prior to Manitoba Housing informing the tenants they could stay.

She arrived at the meeting with five of the tenants, but says she was refused any chance to speak with the property manager.

While she says the lack of compassion shown to the seniors throughout this process has been concerning, what is most important is they will be allowed to stay in their homes.

Soko says this conflict won’t truly feel over till she gets a letter in the mail saying she’ll be allowed to stay. When that happens, she’ll be able to rest easy again.

“It’ll be wonderful,” she says with a smile. “We didn’t expect results so fast, but I think it ensures they’re not going to bother us again.”

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca