Question Period (15 April 2025)

From Hansard (15 April 2025)

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Conditions in Seniors’ Housing Units

Nathaniel Teed: — Mr. Speaker, that statement is simply not good enough. But I’m going to move to another community that this Saskatchewan Party government is failing.

In my constituency of Saskatoon Meewasin, seniors at King Edward Place live in fear for their basic safety. That Sask Party government opened up that building to people of all ages dealing with homelessness and addictions. Now there are human feces on the wall, drugs being dealt in common areas, and people renting out mattresses in the hallway by the hour.

What does this minister have to say to those seniors who are now too scared to step foot outside of their apartments?

Hon. Terry Jenson: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And this issue at King Edward Place is one that my ministry, and the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation with the Saskatoon Housing Authority, we take very seriously.

King Edward Place, for those who don’t know, is a seniors’ social housing building. All tenants are seniors, Mr. Speaker; they are over the age of 55. All tenants are able to live independently, and all tenants must meet the requirements to live there through an application through the Saskatoon Housing Authority, Mr. Speaker.

Safety is paramount and we take all complaints seriously, Mr. Speaker. In fact all of these complaints are being investigated as we speak, and to enhance safety of this building the Saskatoon Housing Authority does have contracted security on site, Mr. Speaker. We want to ensure that seniors’ social housing is welcoming, secure, and it’s a space for all seniors who require affordable housing in their communities to be. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Nathaniel Teed: — Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The situation at King Edward Place is so bad that the government has lost track of who is actually living in that building. And now he continues to say that they are taking this issue seriously and that they are working on it.

Mr. Speaker, that’s what they told me back in August when I first raised this issue. That was eight months ago, and yet security doors at King Edward Place are still being kept closed with bungee cords, Mr. Speaker. There are still cockroaches in the building, Mr. Speaker. There are still bedbugs infesting every corner of that building, and the minister hasn’t stepped foot inside.

Will the minister finally take me up on my offer and tour King Edward Place and see for himself just how bad those conditions are?

Hon. Terry Jenson: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I stated prior, all residents in this building are age 55 or older, Mr. Speaker. Now there were some correspondence that came into my office prior to me being minister. Those were investigated and there was, at that time I’m led to believe, that there is nothing to be found from the video surveillance cameras and the security that is on site.

To that, we are looking into this to that end, Mr. Speaker. We have housing officials that are looking into this most recent incident, and we’re doing that right now. And it’s something we take extremely seriously, Mr. Speaker, especially when it comes to keeping the seniors secure and safe in our communities. Thank you.

Keith Jorgenson: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Wow, this government is really delivering for seniors. You know, this isn’t a one-off. We’ve raised similar concerns in similar facilities in my riding at Scott/Forget Towers. These are some quotes from residents: meth is being smoked in the stairwells; weapons have been found in common areas; human feces were smeared on elevator buttons and on doorknobs for more than a week.

The Sask Party has mismanaged yet another housing unit. When will they take action to fix these units?

Hon. Terry Jenson: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And to the member from Churchill-Wildwood, again these are issues that we take extremely seriously, and if there’s correspondence coming into my office regarding these, we will be looking into them immediately.

We have a team of individuals within the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation and the Saskatoon Housing Authority that work extremely hard to ensure that these facilities are safe and secure for our seniors. So with that, this is something that we are looking into and we will get to the bottom of, Mr. Speaker, and ensure that we keep these seniors safe and secure.

And to that I would just add, it seems as though there’s, in the community, a safety issue. This is why in this budget, Mr. Speaker, we’ve increased the amount of funding that goes towards our municipal policing, and this will go a long ways into helping make our communities safer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Keith Jorgenson: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A new Act around safety doesn’t replace the bungee cord that’s holding the security door closed. It’s absolutely ridiculous. These are quotes from people living at High Park in Moose Jaw who had a very similar set of problems in 2023:

Unless I have a family member or my friends come with me, that’s the only time I can actually leave my apartment. I know there’s a lot of people that have issues in our building. Mixing elderly people and people with mental health issues and alcoholism simply doesn’t mix.

Mr. Speaker, they’ve done it again. Today, Lynnett at King Edwards asked the media, “Would the minister let his mom or grandmother live in this building?”

Hon. Terry Jenson: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and again, when it comes to repair and maintenance of facilities, including seniors’ social housing, Mr. Speaker, we have an $88 million budget for renovations and repair. We also have within that budget, Mr. Speaker, an additional 9.2 million for three major renovation projects with housing.

Mr. Speaker, these individuals with Saskatoon Housing Authority and the housing authorities around the province do terrific work on behalf of our communities, and it’s work that they often don’t get recognized for. So I would just like to recognize those housing authorities, as well as the individuals at the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation, for all the work they do to be able to provide not only affordable housing but also social housing throughout the province. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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