Are new immigrants and refugees being told to steer clear of North Central Regina?

Are newcomers being told to avoid North Central? As Dale Hunter reports, there are allegations that the Regina Open Door Society is encouraging immigrants not to live in certain areas.

When it comes to people's reluctance to live in Regina’s North Central neighbourhood, Jason Hall just doesn't see it.

"I have 95 houses here. My tenants are not having any problems,” said the owner of Hall Executive Suites.

“The people that live here will tell you the same thing if you knock on a few doors. They are not having troubles either."

However, many of the company’s rental houses currently sit empty. Hall says there is no denying that convincing residents to live in North Central Regina is a tough sell. Still, he never imagined that same bias against the neighbourhood would spread to people fleeing war zones half a world away

But Hall says it has.

"I have actually worked closely with the Open Door Society, and have actually suggested and promoted all of my wonderful houses in Washington Park, and they have declined to even show clients the houses," he said.

However, The Regina Open Door Society says the organization is not the problem. He says new refugees and immigrants are shown properties in every neighbourhood in the city. In fact, he says some Open Door Society clients currently live in North Central.

"We really like to encourage new comers to live everywhere in the city," said the Open Door Society’s Getachew Woldyesus.

"At the end of the day, the decision becomes the newcomers’, and we try to provide information. But sometimes, newcomers also get information from other people. So, we cannot control that."

Those trying to grow and promote North Central Regina are stumped as to how the neighbourhood could shake off its bad reputation, which seems to stick, even for those who used to live in some of the worst places on earth.

“Fear… has somehow been drilled into them by friends and family, I suppose,” Hall said. “(It) seems to outweigh logic."

Based on a report by CTV Regina’s Dale Hunter