Social housing residents complain about smokers

Some tenants of a provincially subsidized social housing project in Moncton are upset with smokers in their building.

The St. Augustine's home for seniors on Norwood Avenue is supposed to be smoke-free.

But some people who live there said that the rule is being ignored.

Claire Furlotte is allergic to tobacco smoke andsaid she has no other options. She was glad to find a non-smoking apartment that was subsidized by the province.

"The worst thing is the thought of moving and I can't afford the regular apartments in town, the ones that have no smoke are usually expensive," Furlotte said.

She said she's tried everything to prevent the smoke from wafting down the corridor and into her apartment.

"Every time I come in, I put rags all around my door and at the bottom," she said.

"I don't know what the solution would be, but definitely the person that's smoking or persons that are smoking should have consideration for other people."

Another tenant, Dawna Roy, said that those who are breaking the rules are ruining it for everyone else.

"I knew it was going to be non-smoking. I was very happy because I'm allergic to the smoke. So I said, 'boy this is going to be a treat.' But it didn't turn out that way," Roy said.

The building is managed by Co-op Atlantic.

Spokesman Mark Higgins said it's hard to catch someone in the act.

"If we can clearly discover that [adhering to the rules] is not going on, then we will have to take action," he said.

He said the co-op is doing all it can to make sure the building is smoke free. They've put up signs at all the entrances and sent two notices to all the tenants.