Residents of a southeast Calgary apartment complex are raising serious concerns about their elevator being shut down for the past six weeks.
Barbara Bevans, 76, has lived at Parkview Village in Midnapore for two decades with no issues. She told Global News the past six weeks have been “terrible.”
“We’ve just been kidnapped here,” she said. “Fix the elevator!”
Bevans suffers from severe health and mobility issues. She’s currently on the waiting list for a second hip replacement after already undergoing two knee and two shoulder replacements.
She said every step is excruciating and going down three flights of stairs is simply impossible.
“I can only do a few steps because the pain is just unbelievable,” she said.
Bevans’ other concern is making it to doctor appointments. She’s had to call on family and even Calgary emergency crews to help carry her up and down the stairs.
“They sort of lifted me, so I didn’t have to walk down,” she said.
“I just hope I can get to my appointments because I don’t know if the fireman can come and pick me up. If they have emergencies they say, ‘Sorry we can’t come.'”
“It has been very wearing,” daughter Jodie Gerry concurred. “A couple of weeks you can sort of deal with but this?”
Gerry said she’s been told because the buildings are old, so are the elevators and parts are hand to come by. She understands these kinds of things take time to fix but added her mom and all of the other vulnerable residents of the complex have waited long enough.
“They are trapped,” she said. “They are trapped, literally.”
“I just talked to the resident manager. ‘We know there is something going on,’ and that’s all she could really say.”
Property management company responds
Global News also reached out to the property management company in charge of the complex.
Har-Par Investments Ltd. told us it “deeply regrets any inconvenience caused by the temporary disruption in elevator service at Parkview Village.”
“The outage was due to an unforeseen technical issue that our maintenance team is actively addressing. We have engaged with reputable elevator engineers and AEDARSA (Alberta Elevating Devices Amusement Rides Safety Association) to expedite the repair process and ensure that the elevator is restored to full functionality as quickly as possible.”
In the meantime, the company said it has implemented alternative measures to assist residents and visitors, including providing clear communication about the outage, aiding
individuals with mobility challenges and exploring temporary accommodations where necessary.
“Har-Par Investments Ltd. has offered ground-floor accommodations and or lease termination for those who have mobility challenges both before and after the elevator disruption,” the statement added.
“Our team is working around the clock to expedite the repair process and minimize any further disruption.”
“They should be able to get whomever they can in to fix the elevator,” Bevans said. “And it shouldn’t take six weeks.”
Bevans, who is set to go for day surgery on Wednesday, said she is worried about what will happen when she is released. There is currently no timeline for the elevator to be back up and running.
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