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Now that the last snow is behind us, the debris from what were still garden lamps last year are scattered all over the grounds, giving it a post-apocalyptic and neglected look that matches the presence of graffiti, cigarette butts, and mud. The administration tells us that decisions about suppliers are made in Ottawa, so they cannot decide whether or not to take them back next year. We are assured that very serious warnings have been given, however - which seems to indicate that they will have another chance to destroy the new lamps supposed to replace these.

The same equipment remains broken at this time.

Elliptical broken for the last 8 months

Airbike broken since 2022

Nothing has changed since the last meeting with the Property Manager. Did he give instructions, or are they not being followed?

We asked a gentleman responsible for maintaining the gym if the Property Manager had informed him to refill the cleaning wipes dispensers, and here is his response:

"I don't know who [this man] is... I don't know how to refill these dispensers, I will find out."

There seems to be a divergence in the responses obtained by tenants regarding the works next summer. While the Property Manager indicated to CLR that it would be Building C in 2024, others were told Building B.

However, no formal date has been provided.

Tenants have the right to know at least 3 months in advance in case of major works lasting more than a week, in order to make alternative arrangements during this period when it will be impossible for them to live at home due to noise and dust.

Currently, there is no follow-up on the work entrusted to contractors, and the maintenance staff is demobilized. The work given and performed by independent contractors paid through our rents is without quality control for the work carried out. Moreover, the building coordinators are never seen on-site, with very little direct contact with tenants, an abstract understanding, and inadequate comprehension of the concrete issues experienced in Block B. They do not conduct follow-ups, rarely assess the state of affairs, the progress of the work, or the final results, even though they coordinate these activities.

The Property Manager states that all contractors or workers assigned for a job have previously gone through control centers to verify their registration as official and compliant companies, meeting the competence and quality requirements of their work. They have all been checked and validated. Quality monitoring is ensured, but he explains that sometimes, due to the age of these buildings, unexpected issues may arise during the work, creating the impression that the job is poorly done. He takes note of complaints that coordinators are rarely seen on-site and lack contact, and he will investigate this issue to ensure improvement.

We felt a desire for collaboration ,and observed communication efforts from our administration in the immediate aftermath of the submission of our petition, but the improvement has NOT been sustained. Many tenants complain about not receiving callbacks or messages, or receiving inadequate or confusing responses, without results. It creates a lot of unnecessary frustration.

Serious problems persist in terms of communication, both with tenants and with employees and suppliers. The administration MUST realize that it operates in the housing sector and has legal and moral obligations to the people who live here. It persists in acting with a mix of stubborn lack of responsiveness, and thoughtless haste.

Regional Director Contarini, during our first meeting (12.09.23), informed us that he would already require that every Friday, the coordinators send him, by email, a report of all communications and responses made to tenant requests. Since Regional Director Contarini was not present at our meeting today, it will be imperative, at our next meeting in a month, to discuss this again to assess whether these changes have indeed resulted in an improvement in communications and follow-ups.

The Property Manager takes this into account and only aims for improvement in communications. He says he is the first to suffer the consequences of these poor communications. Tenants are getting frustrated and angry, which seriously bothers him in his work. So, like all of us, he aims for improvement as soon as possible. He has changed the entire telephone system for all members of the administration to more efficient devices. Each employee now has a headset for better handling of phone exchanges. Unfortunately the problem is not technological: it is not caused by mishearing the sounds of the people speaking but not using active listening, empathy and a sense of urgency when discussing problems with the tenants.