Landlord, N.B. Power point at each other as another multi-day power outage frustrates tenants
Another multi-day power outage at an apartment building in Miramichi has two tenants frustrated all over again.
For Melonie Rutland and Shannon Camilleri, the outage at 2108 Water St. is just the latest of stubborn problems to occur since the building opened at the end of 2023.
Rutland and Camilleri spoke to CBC News early this summer about accessibility complaints, cracks in the walls and ceilings of the building, and power outages.
Then, this past Saturday, "we all woke up to no power," Camilleri said.
"When are the tenants here gonna be able to live like people?"
The landlord and N.B. Power are aware of the electricity problem, although neither claims any role in its cause or persistence.
The owner of the 20-unit building partnered with Miramichi Housing Solutions, the Miramichi Transition House and the Miramichi Regional Multicultural Association.
Belleterre Community Partners president Blair Martin says N.B. Power was on site fixing the problem, which began early Saturday morning. But N.B. power says the faulty equipment is not theirs. (Submitted by Blair Martin)
More than half the units are designated for rent supplements, with some of the units aimed at women and children facing domestic violence or at risk of homelessness.
The supplemented units were to be considered third-stage housing, meaning tenants could stay long term.
Blair Martin, the president of Belleterre Community Partners, which owns the building, said electricians traced the outage, which is still going on, to N.B. Power transformers and not to any equipment inside the building.
He said N.B. Power technicians were on site Monday to address the problem, and the building's electricians would be installing a new breaker.
He said he didn't have specific details on what the fix would entail, but the electricians are confident the problem they identified is what has been causing the outages.
As of 8 p.m. Monday, Blair said power had returned to the building.
N.B. Power officials were unavailable for an interview, but a spokesperson for the Crown corporation shared a different story.
Dominique Couture said in an email that N.B. Power understands how frustrating and difficult the situation is for tenants and that the utility would be supporting the building management in a resolution.
Shannon Camilleri, shown in this file photo speaking at a Coldest Night of the Year event, says she sits on a local board for housing and felt she had to speak up for tenants at her Miramichi building. (Submitted by Shannon Camilleri)
But Couture said the N.B. Power team thoroughly inspected all of its equipment and determined that it was all functioning properly, with the issue likely related to equipment located behind the meter, which belongs to the building.
"We are continuing to work closely with building management to ensure that this matter is addressed," she wrote.
Martin said later in the day that the problem is complicated, and both N.B. Power and the company are working on it.
Rutland said the lights in the hallways remain on during this outage, and people were able to plug their fridges into the hallway outlets to prevent spoiling, which occurred during previous outages. But she said she still hasn't been able to cook.
And Camilleri said no food has been given to tenants during this outage, besides coffee on Saturday morning.
Camilleri said she sits on a local board for housing with other members of the community, so she would feel like a "fraud" if she didn't speak out about the situation on behalf of other tenants.
Martin said he is also frustrated and says Belleterre has spent more than $21,000 giving tenants free rent for July, money for spoiled food, and food stipends for people who left their apartments.
"We're not just sitting on our hands here and not dealing with this problem," he said.
