Blind elder at wit's end over harassment, unruly neighbours at Yellowknife apartment

An elderly woman living with blindness in Yellowknife is looking for help, after being hassled by other tenants in her apartment for years.

Despite reaching out to various people and organizations for support, she says she hasn't had any help in resolving the issue.

The elder, who CBC has agreed not to name for fear of reprisal, says she's had to deal with frequent verbal attacks, people banging on her door uttering threats, and the garbage she takes outside reappearing in her home.

"It's very stressful and it's very annoying," she said about the harassment.

The elder's unit is in public housing. She's contacted her landlord, which is the Yellowknife Housing Authority, and says she was told they've done everything they can.

When contacted by CBC, a program officer with the corporation confirmed the woman had reached out to them about issues in the building, but would not comment on the nature of the issues, or if anything is being done to resolve them.

It's hard to be happy. I'm always feeling sad.- Yellowknife resident

The woman also tried getting help from the RCMP, the NWT Disabilities Council, and the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, but to no avail.

"It's just a spinning wheel. It doesn't go anywhere," she said.

CBC contacted the building owners, Northview REIT, for comment, but their spokesperson was out of the office. 

Noise from other tenants is yet another disruption to her daily life, she explained, worsening significantly in the summer, as they party outside rather than in their homes.

As a way of coping with the noise, she says she puts on the radio or plays jazz music. That only provides a temporary fix.

She also said tenant marijuana and cigarette smoke blows into her apartment through windows she must keep open to cool her home.

"It's hard to be happy. I'm always feeling sad," she said.

She's also experiencing an increased level of isolation as the problem has affected her social life. 

She explained how somebody used to come over to pray with her, but eventually she had to ask them to stop because she was concerned for their safety when the harassers targeted them too.

Human rights

Charles Dent, the chair of the N.W.T. Human Rights Commission, is not able to comment on specific cases, but he explained the territory's Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination on the grounds of race, ancestry, sex, age, disability, and more.

For example, if somebody feels they've been discriminated against at work, are unable to access public services, or if a landlord doesn't make accommodations based on the request of a tenant, that would be a violation of the act.

"If somebody feels they've been discriminated [against] ... then they should talk to a human rights officer," said Dent.

This will allow them to better understand if they have the right criteria for a complaint and whether it can be resolved between the two parties. If that is not successful, the complaint will be filed and will be looked at by an adjudication panel.

Disruptive neighbours aside, the woman wants to continue living in her home. She feels it's a nice place and, with her disability, provides her easy exit in the event of a fire. 

She also has family in Yellowknife and wants to continue living in the same community.