COCKROACH COMPLAINTS
Pest problems at Northwoods
At first, Roger Kytwayhat thought the soft knocking noises came from the fridge.
Then he saw the cockroaches. Their bodies glistened as they scuttled across the floor and up the walls of his room at Saskatoon’s Northwoods Inn and Suites.
“I wasn’t even aware that cockroaches made a sound until I finally figured it out,” Kytwayhat said. “I can’t sleep at night because I’m afraid bugs are going to crawl all over me.”
Kytwayhat, 47, is a former band councillor from Big Island Lake Cree Nation. He said he was working in construction this summer, but lost his job, and then was hit by a car while crossing a street in North Battleford in September, fracturing a leg and injuring one of his arms. After his release from hospital in Saskatoon, he wanted to go home, but with the Saskatchewan Transportation Company no longer operating affordable bus routes to the north, he didn’t know how.
He spent a week living at the Lighthouse Supported Living Centre, then decided to find a place to live in the city and search for a job. He said he ended up at the Northwoods in October because it was all he could afford.
Kytwayhat’s room is simple and consists of a bed, TV, fridge, ironing board, small table and single chair. The door to the room doesn’t always lock, and he’s had two break-ins. The thieves took his cellphone, disposable razor and canned goods. Once, someone on the premises showed him a gun, he said.
Showing a visitor around, he opened the door to his bathroom, startling the cockroaches, which darted away from the sudden intrusion of light.
He said he sleeps with the lights on to keep the insects at bay.
Kytwayhat said he doesn’t understand how a company can rent out rooms in such deplorable conditions. He said he’s talked to the front-desk staff, but was told he should feel lucky to have a roof over his head. He said he is thinking of talking to the provincial Office of Residential Tenancies.
The Northwoods is no stranger to complaints about its rooms. In an emailed statement, the Saskatoon Health Region said some of the motel’s rooms “faced issues related to pest control” prior to September and placards were put on some rooms declaring them “unfit for occupation.” However, health inspectors were most recently at the hotel in early September and rescinded those placards “based on proof that a pest-control program was in place and administered by a licensed pest control person, including monitoring, treatment of affected areas and documentation.”
Northwoods owner John Pontes was in the news this week after Saskatoon police charged him with three counts of sexual assault, two counts of extortion, one count of obtaining sexual service for consideration and one count of uttering death threats after a monthslong investigation by the vice unit. He appeared in court Wednesday morning and was released on a recognizance. He’s due back in court Dec. 13.
Kytwayhat said he wasn’t surprised to hear of the arrest.
“It’s about time,” he said, adding that he hopes the charges encourage some of the Northwoods tenants to speak up about conditions at the motel.
Staff at the Northwoods did not respond to a request for comment.
In its emailed statement, the health region said inspections are conducted after receiving complaints from the public and that people concerned about their living conditions should contact their local public health inspector.