Tenants in two Winnipeg apartments complain of no heat and mould

From no heat to mould, tenants of two Winnipeg apartment buildings are speaking out about their living conditions.

Christina Dewitt moved into her West Broadway apartment three months ago.

It doesn't have flooring and she can't turn on the baseboard heaters.

"They are mangled, and I don't know if they are going to catch fire or not," said Dewitt while talking about the heaters.

Dewitt said she's been using a portable heater and the oven to stay warm.

"Living in there, I'm usually wearing two or three layers," she said.

Dewitt said she's contacted her landlord about all of the issues.

She said she can't move out or find a new place because of her financial situation.

Meanwhile, Arnold Courchene is also dealing with problems with his suite.

Courchene lives in the building behind Dewitt's, also run by the same company.

He said he has been battling mould problems in the kitchen and basement for seven months.

"You have to wear a mask when you go down there. That is how bad it is," said Courchene about his basement. "That's how bad it stinks."

He said the stress of the situation has impacted his wife's health and is worried about other family members.

"Just concerned about the health of the kids coming in here, my grandson, and there's another baby on the way," he said.

SAM Management, the non-profit in charge of the buildings, said conflict with tenant schedules and delays in insurance claims lengthened the repairs.

The company told CTV News all of the issues have now been rectified or are slated to be dealt with.

It said it was unaware of Dewitt's broken heaters but fixed them immediately on Tuesday.

It added the flooring in Dewitt's apartment was delayed since she was in talks to move to a different suite but decided not to switch.

SAM Management went on to say it has already purchased everything needed to fix the mould issue but experienced issues getting into the suite.

It has since offered Courchene a new suite while construction is underway.

Repairs and fixes that will offer tenants more piece of mind.

"No one should be living in these conditions," said Dewitt, "They are deplorable."

"People shouldn't be living like this with these mould conditions," said Courchene.