Langley rental building tells scooter-assisted 70-year-old she can’t use the elevator

Jenny Hansman has lived on the second floor of Parkview Terrace in Langley, B.C. for the past 16 years.

At 70 years old, she uses an electric scooter to travel around.

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To come and go from her apartment, she needs to use the elevator. But as of Dec. 1, the building’s management say that won’t be an option anymore.

And the building doesn’t have any ground-floor suites available.

If Hansman disobeys the order, she’ll be forced to move out. And it’s left her wondering what to do.

“Don’t they realize she needs her scooter, do you think I have it for fun?” she told Global News.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Don't they realize she needs her scooter, do you think I have it for fun?" she told Global News.

Ocean Park Enterprises, which oversees the building, sent Hansman a letter notifying her of the new policy around the elevator.

The letter noted a number of incidents in which the elevator had broken, or Hansman had been stuck inside.

READ MORE: New accessibility laws should address employment, inclusive buildings, transport: report

Hansman’s family said the elevator has an issue that keeps it from being level to the ground.

Previous building managers had fixed elevator problems whenever they came up.

“There was issues with the elevator before but it was always resolved by the manager,” Hansman’s sister Tina Leach said.

“Now it’s like she’s the problem.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Now it's like she's the problem."

Staff at the building told Global News to wait for the owner’s contact information.

Global News met building manager Dan Shephard who put a hand to a video camera and said, “don’t point it at my face.”

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He asked Global News to leave.

Hansman’s family is looking for legal representation.

Ocean Park Enterprises did not return a request for comment.