The drama continues at Oak Tree Towers in Portage la Prairie. Portage MLA Jeff Bereza delivered a Private Member’s Statement at last week’s Manitoba Legislative Assembly, outlining ongoing ordeals at the facility as residents remain fearful of what might happen next.
Bereza issued a stark warning about deteriorating conditions at Oak Tree Towers, a once-peaceful 55-plus housing complex now plagued by crime and neglect. Speaking in the legislature, he detailed disturbing accounts from seniors who describe feeling trapped.
“Residents await word from the province about real action,” Bereza emphasized, urging immediate intervention to address safety concerns and restore dignity for vulnerable tenants.
Residents endure rapid decline in living conditions
Bereza states the building has been a local landmark for decades but no longer resembles the safe community it once was.
“Over the past 18 months, living conditions at Oak Tree Towers have rapidly deteriorated,” says Bereza. "Residents report rampant illegal activity, including suspected drug production and sex trafficking, with non-residents allegedly ‘sleeping, urinating, [and] defecating in the hallways.’”
Despite repeated pleas for help, Bereza claims Manitoba Housing has failed to act.
“Complaints have gone ignored. Or worse, staff [have] told residents to stop calling,” notes Bereza.
A local agency supporting seniors has corroborated these concerns, sending a formal letter to the housing minister urging intervention.
Bereza shared an anonymous email from a long-term resident fearing for their life:
“I pay rent to live here, yet my right to a peaceful existence is being denied… If I do end up dead from extreme stress and sleep deprivation… I’m giving my MLA permission to release every email.”
The senior added they’re “losing faith in this minister’s ability or desire to do the right thing.”
Calls for urgent action amid safety crisis
Bereza closed by demanding immediate steps to restore safety, stressing vulnerable seniors deserve better. He notes the province has yet to publicly respond to the allegations. Bereza adds the mechanized door allowing access for residents with mobility issues had been damaged for the second time just after repairs were made.
“I know the province promised to put up a security fence. I drove by last week and the only fence I can see is a four-foot chain-link fence, and that’s not going to stop anybody. We need 24-hour security there.”