Elevator issues at Lethbridge apartment strand resident with mobility challenges

James Campbell says he’s been stuck in his 11th floor west Lethbridge apartment building all week.

Both elevators in his Skyline Terrace building at 37 Berkeley Place West are out of commission, and a spinal injury prevents him from braving the stairs.

“I can’t walk up and down the stairs, I’ll injure myself, and if I injure myself I’ll need an ambulance to get me out of the stairwell,” Campbell said.

“So essentially, I’m trapped in the building.

“I’m already kind of isolated, but now I’m really isolated.”

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Campbell says one of the building’s two elevators has been down since the end of December, and the second stopped working on Valentine’s Day.

He says his frustration is heightened by the fact that the building went through a similar situation with elevator breakdowns in August.

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A letter from building management on Wednesday told residents that it could be as long as four weeks before they would have a working elevator.

The following day, a notice from building management company Northview Canadian High Yield Residential Fund — provided to Global News by Campbell — said:

“We continue to work with Thyssennkrupp, our elevator supplier, on expediting the repairs to our elevators.

“While we continue to push for quicker timing, we have been told to expect the repairs for the first elevator in the first week of March and mid-March for the second elevator.”

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Thyssenkrupp Elevator responded by way of a statement to Global News, saying it was committed to promptly addressing the issue after servicing Skyline Terrace for more than a decade.

“During that time, we have worked hard to successfully keep the building’s two 45-year-old Otis elevators running safely, when the typical lifecycle for an elevator is approximately 25 years,” the statement read.

“Unfortunately, without modern upgrades, antiquated elevators like these are more susceptible to frequent breakdowns.”

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Northview did not respond to multiple requests for comment from Global News.

In the update sent to tenants Thursday, building management did provide the some options to residents; including a credit of $100 towards March rent, and the option to temporarily relocate to vacant suites on lower levels or in another building until repairs could be completed.

Campbell says while he can appreciate the offer, he doesn’t see it as a solution.

“It’s my home,” he said. “And because I am homebound, it has a lot more importance to me.”