‘It’s inhumane’: Longtime residents of Fredericton-area motel forced to relocate – New Brunswick | Globalnews.ca

About two dozen residents of the Airport Inn inn just outside Fredericton have been told to move out as soon as possible, leaving the longtime tenants worried and upset.

The hotel, in Lincoln, N.B., has been without water and electricity for the past few days after it was shut off for safety reasons.

Heather Lantz, who lives in the inn, said she’s “devastated.”

“I don’t think it was fair what she did,” Lantz said, referencing the landlord.

According to a letter provided to Global News, the motel owner informed residents last Saturday that they have to move out.

While the building is a motel, for many residents, it’s been home.

Leon Cormier has lived there for 11 years.

“We were like family,” he said. “It’s tough. I mean, we’re all friends.”

He said many tenants like himself are retired and on fixed incomes — meaning they don’t have money for first and last month’s rent for a new unit on such short notice.

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He also doesn’t know if he can afford rent anywhere else or if he can even afford a moving van.

“It’s a hard thing to swallow to be out on the street… Where am I going to go at 74 years old?” he said.

The motel’s owner, Yingchun Su, told Global News she ran out of options when it came to fixing the electrical problems.

“I really feel helpless. I don’t know what to do,” she said.

Su said seven days before the power went out, an electrical inspector told her a flood was causing safety issues and they needed to be fixed in the next week.

“(An) electrician (was) trying to work with him, (asking) can we bring a temporary line from the other building? … The inspector said, ‘No, it’s not safe to do that. If you do that, I’ll shut the other building off,’” she explained.

She said she’s exploring all options, including tearing the motel down and selling it.

“But for now, my priority is keep the business running because I still have 12 units and I still have bills to pay,” she said.

According to New Brunswick’s Public Safety Department, “significant safety issues” were identified in the building earlier this month.

When proper correction actions weren’t taken by deadline, the power was disconnected due to safety risks posed by what the department said was “a number of significant electrical issues.”

It said the province’s housing corporation will assess tenants and place them on the housing wait-list based on their needs.

Meanwhile, tenants are left in the dark — in unlit rooms and with uncertain futures.

“It’s inhumane,” said Cormier.

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