Two months after residents of the Kensington Manor apartment building were hurriedly evacuated from their homes, former residents say they’re still in the dark about what happened and why they were evacuated.
Alison McIntosh said Monday that residents haven’t received any updates on the state of the building or answers about what happened.
“They said it’s structurally unsound and we never found out what caused that or why that is,” McIntosh said.
“The place is still there, shuttered out… and kind of cordoned off… we’re still looking for a lot of answers. Who dropped the ball and when? Who knew what and when? And why it was put on us to accommodate their timelines and their demands.”
McIntosh said on Dec. 11 the residents were told that as of Dec. 13, National Equity Management would no longer be the management company for the building.
She said the group was given an email address for the new manager, however no communications to that person were ever answered.
Global News also reached out to that new manager for an update, but emails were not answered.
McIntosh said the group of residents have moved on, and she doesn’t think any of them have any intentions of returning to the building. She said some weren’t able to find new homes in Calgary and had to move on completely.
McIntosh said along with answers, the former residents are also considering legal action to get more compensation for their ordeal.
Each tenant was given back their damage deposit as well as a $250 cheque, but McIntosh said for many, that didn’t cover the cost of moving and doesn’t do enough to cover the higher rent many now have to pay.
She’d also like to see a review of the Residential Tenancies Act as well as the protocols in place for safety inspections of buildings to ensure the same set of events doesn’t happen to other renters in Calgary.
As for the building’s future, McIntosh said she foresees the new managers either tearing it down or doing a major renovation and turning it into condos.
A spokesperson with the City of Calgary told Global News on Monday that a meeting was scheduled between city officials and the building’s new management for some time this week.
McIntosh has created a petition to try to get signatures in support of a review of the Residential Tenancies Act.
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