MLA Conroy relentless in finding shelter for displaced tenants

After 4 nights in the Golden Hawk, tenants displaced from 15 Cole Crescent because of fire safety concerns needed to move again. MLA Michelle Conroy relentless in finding a solution.

After 4 days in the Golden Hawk recreation centre, the displaced people from 15 Cole Crescent are on the move again, this time to a local high school.

On June 19th the Fire Marshall ordered the tenants out of the building because of fire code violations that had not been addressed by the owner.  Fifty people had to find other places to live while the problem is being addressed to the Fire Marshall’s satisfaction, and some of those people were put up at the Golden Hawk.  But as of Sunday June 23rd at 5pm, the tenants could no longer stay at the facility because it was booked for other purposes, and a new location had to be found.

Miramichi MLA Michelle Conroy said she spent most of the day on Saturday on the phone attempting to reach someone who could authorize the gym at James M. High School to be used for that purpose.   Conroy said she thought of the school right away because it was close by, had ample space, and had lockers and shower facilities.  The teachers were going to be working for one more week, and the gym area could be isolated from the rest of the school by locking a hallway door

Conroy told Global news in an interview outside the Golden Hawk that the she finally received authorization from the District around suppertime on Saturday, and spent Sunday on the phone working out other logistics with the Fire Marshall and finding transportation for the tenants to the school.  She also said that she coordinated with the Red Cross and a local security company to make sure there was going to be 24-7 supervision at the school while the tenants were staying there.

Despite the lessons learned from the ice storm of 2017 that forced many Miramichiers into emergency shelters around the city, Conroy said she thinks it would be beneficial to sit down with the city and other provincial departments to formulate an action plan for instances like these in the future.

In a press release put out by the People’s Alliance, Miramichi Fire Chief Tony Lloyd is quoted as saying that Conroy went above and beyond in the response to the situation (LINK).  Conroy was quick to deflect the credit, and says she appreciates  the fast response from the Department of Social Development as well as the Red Cross, the Fire Department and the Fire Marshall, and nearby Skyway to Heaven Church that opened its doors to the is placed people and would have allowed them all to stay there if they had had enough space and bathroom facilities for them.