Christine Carr, a resident of the Canboro Gardens apartment complex at 704 Canboro Road in Fenwick, is masked, and frustrated.
She has called Mayor Marvin Junkin, Town of Pelham bylaw officers, and Niagara Health authorities regarding the unwillingness of her fellow apartment dwellers to abide by the health edict to mask up.
“The managers are good people and are trying their best. They have put up notices and talked to residents, but many tenants refuse to comply,” said Carr. “I feel extremely uncomfortable here. We have waitresses who work in town coming in with no mask. The same with long-distance truck drivers. I have tried talking to some people, and they just ignore me.”
Carr has lived on the second floor in the older portion of the apartment complex (once a high school) for about a year. The building has 81 units. She says she regularly sees many residents coming and going without donning a face mask. Carr also said the building has an antiquated ventilation system, so airborne viruses are more likely to persist indoors.
Anneka Reeves and her husband are the resident managers of the building, owned by Metcap Living.
“Of course we take this very seriously,” said Reeves. “We are disinfecting the building with bleach twice a day, and have posters all throughout the building, noting the bylaw is mandatory. If they are in a common area inside, they're supposed to be abiding by the bylaw. Some do and some don’t. There’s only so much that we can do. I find that in the laundry room, people are wearing masks.”
Asked for comment, Fire Chief and head of bylaw enforcement Bob Lymburner noted that Pelham had recently amended the Town’s mask bylaw to include multi residential buildings.
“Masks should be worn in all common areas of a building and areas should be posted,” said Lymburner. “We will respond to complaints or concerns.”