Sask. government hires security company at seniors building, disputes claim of drug dealing

WATCH: A resident who lives in a senior social housing building in downtown Saskatoon is concerned about her safety.

A resident who lives in a senior social housing building downtown Saskatoon is concerned about her safety.

“My screen has been slashed,” Lynnett Boris, who has lived at King Edward Place for about 15 years, told journalists.

“It isn’t safe.”

King Edward Place is a 116-unit seniors complex run by the province.

Boris, backed by the Saskatchewan NDP, shared images of an exit door held shut by a bungee cord and a washing machine that reportedly had feces inside of it.

NDP MLA Keith Jorgenson said the building has accepted tenants that should be in a separate facility designed for mental health and addictions treatment.

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“You can’t just throw people with addictions challenges into a seniors’ home and cross your fingers,” Jorgenson said.

The Ministry of Social Services said all tenants of King Edward Place meet the requirements to live in senior social housing.

The government said it has contracted a security company to be on-site.

“Video surveillance footage and discussions with the on-site security company does not support claims that guests are sleeping in stairwells, wandering the building or engaging in illegal activity such as drug dealing,” the ministry told CTV News in an email.

The housing authority said it’s working with tenants to ensure “they meet their lease agreement obligations.”

“We want senior social housing to be a welcoming, safe space for all senior residents who require affordable housing,” the ministry said.