PCs call for more accessible public housing, NDP calls NLHC a 'slum landlord' in wake of Livingstone fire

Maddie Ryan · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 15, 2025 11:50 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Members of Newfoundland and Labrador's absorption parties accidental the province's lodging corporation needs to bash amended aft a occurrence destroyed six nationalist lodging units successful St. John's last month.

On March 27, a occurrence burned through a enactment of six Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation (NLHC) — a provincial Crown corp — units connected Livingstone Street successful downtown St. John's. One idiosyncratic was displaced and has been transferred elsewhere. The five different units were vacant.

NLHC announced it volition demolish the units "in the involvement of nationalist safety," according to interim Housing Minister Sarah Stoodley.

"Those properties were not salvageable successful presumption of repair," Stoodley said successful a caller interrogation with CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show.

"From a nationalist information perspective, we thought it was important to demolish them arsenic soon arsenic possible."

Since the units went up successful flames, Stoodley says they've been taxable to vandalism and break-ins.

A metallic obstruction present guards those six houses.

Stoodley says NLHC presently has a vacancy complaint of 4 per cent. She says most vacancies successful nationalist lodging are because of renovations that request to instrumentality spot earlier a caller tenant tin determination in, and the NLHC does not yet person a program for what volition hap to the soon-to-be bare batch connected Livingstone Street.

Further, Stoodley says the the country is connected a steep hill, and isn't "conducive to accessible units."

WATCH | Fire section says the extended occurrence dispersed to adjoining properties:

Progressive Conservative lodging professional Jodey Wall begs to differ.

"I'm definite we person the quality to enactment successful accessible lodging successful immoderate area," helium said. "[There's] a staggering fig with respect to radical waiting for housing."

'A authorities of disrepair'

NDP Leader Jim Dinn wrote a missive to Stoodley.

"The provincial authorities and NLHC look to person written disconnected the Tessier Park, Livingstone, centre metropolis country neighbourhood, and the radical who telephone the country location consciousness abandoned," Dinn wrote.

He says the lodging units successful that country of St. John's person been "left successful a authorities of disrepair," and wants a committedness from the authorities that the units volition beryllium repaired soon.

"I privation thing wrong the adjacent year," helium said. "I besides would similar to spot each different portion determination brought up to standard."

The origin of the occurrence is inactive unknown, but Dinn says helium heard from adjacent residents that unhoused radical were staying successful the vacant units to support warm.

"They knew that determination was yet going to beryllium a occurrence here," said Dinn. "People were, I guess, squatting successful the spot due to the fact that they had obscurity other to go."

Walking done the downtown neighbourhood, Dinn says he's observed siding peeling disconnected houses, smashed windows and exposed insulation. He says it's a motion of NLHC's neglect.

"The NLHC has started to look similar a slum landlord," Dinn wrote successful his letter to Stoodley.

He included an eight-point database of recommendations, including hiring unit to support public housing units, providing information to guarantee fires don't interruption retired successful vacant units and to perpetrate to a abstraction for a assemblage centre successful the neighbourhood.

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