Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Dec 03/99) - There's a cold draft coming through the gap in the door at Herb and Albertine Rodh's Housing Corporation Access Program home in Fort Simpson.

That's one of many problems they have documented in letters and pictures since they moved into the one-storey, three-bedroom house in 1994.

Herb points to the crevice between the floor and the bottom of the wall. When the frost is in the ground the gap widens to the point that he can stick a wood chisel through, he said.

A former carpenter, Herb grabs a square and demonstrates how most of the corners of the walls are not at 90-degree angles. He refers to a report by a Housing Corporation employee that lists a number of immediate concerns to be addressed such as the buckling siding and the need for extra floor joists.

Albertine tells of the mould in the crawlspace below their home and suggests it is exacerbating her asthma condition. She said the lack of ventilation in the kitchen leads to a build-up of condensation when they use the stove. Earlier this month, sewage problems added to their woes.

They have approached the Housing Corporation numerous times about the problems but are either ignored or a makeshift repair job is done, they say.

"We're complaining and they don't want to listen to us anymore," Herb said.

"In other words they're just telling us to be quiet because we've got a house," Albertine contends.

"I told (a Housing Corporation official) that the house has to be brought up to standard or they can pay us out and they can have the house back," Herb added.

The elderly Fort Simpson couple took possession of the house in 1994 when Herb turned 65. They said it has become obvious that it was poorly constructed.

To reinforce his point, Herb mentions that the screens in the windows popped a year after the house was built. At least the screens and windows were replaced, he noted.

Tom Makepeace, district manager for the Housing Corporation in Hay River, said he will get an inspector independent of the Housing Corporation to come up with a solution to the problems.

"That's the only way I think I can address this problem," Makepeace said Monday, adding that he hopes some of the work can be identified and done this winter. The rest may have to wait for summer.

Makepeace said he does not agree with the Rodhs' opinion that the house was poorly constructed. He said the homes meet or exceed R-2000 program standards, which exist across Canada.

Tom Beaulieu, Housing Corporation vice-president, said the Housing Corp. has been trying to attend to the Rodhs' problems all along.

"I don't know if we've done all we can. I think we have, but we'll do more," he said.