CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Between the presence of cockroaches and a P.E.I. housing crisis, Greg MacDonald says he feels like he’s trapped in his apartment.
He said he had enjoyed living in his Charlottetown apartment for nearly three years.
That was until just a few days before Christmas, when MacDonald started noticing cockroaches.
Since then, he says the roaches have remained despite numerous pest control treatments.
“It’s been an ongoing thing for quite some time. It’s a nightmare honestly,” said MacDonald. “I had to throw out my toaster because they were crawling out of it.
“They’re coming out of the light sockets, crevices in the kitchen. It’s nasty.”
Videos recorded by MacDonald also show them living in his stove.
Although cockroaches were somewhat uncommon on P.E.I. years ago, a Charlottetown pest control company previously told The Guardian they have since become a common problem in buildings across the province.
Although MacDonald said a pest control company has come to his apartment multiple times since January, he said the problem has not been resolved.
“According to pest control, they are doing what they need to do … as far as I’m concerned, there’s no improvement,” he said, adding that moving is not an option due to a lack of vacancies in the area. “There’s such a lack of housing available for a price you can afford. I’m not the only one dealing with that.”
Greg’s roommate, Shauna MacDonald, also said the problem has persisted.
“We’re just asking for a fix, that’s it,” she said.
The two said getting a fix has been a game of “tug-of-war” with their landlord, who declined to comment to The Guardian.
MacDonald was so frustrated with his living conditions that he reached out to public health, which he said completed an environmental health inspection at his apartment and told him the issue was under IRAC’s authority.
So, he took the issue to Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (IRAC) in the spring for a hearing to be re-compensated for one month’s rent. However, he lost.
While MacDonald said he’s planning to re-file his application with IRAC, he said he’s not after money.
“It’s not the money I want, it’s healthy living conditions,” he said. “No one should have to live like this.”
