An anti-poverty organization joined residents of a Dartmouth apartment building as they picketed outside their local MLA’s constituency office on Tuesday.

The tenants have raised concerns about problems with cockroaches and bedbugs and say their landlord, Metro Housing, needs to act more quickly when dealing with pest infestations at their building.

“I moved my mattress and they started crawling all over my mattress and I screamed and I said no, this is it, I’m done,” says tenant Krista MacVicar.

Daryl MacDonald says his apartment has been sprayed three or four times because of bedbugs and he wants to see Metro Regional Housing Authority be more proactive.

“They’re more reacting than being proactive and it’s taking weeks to get PCO or whoever in to spray,” says MacDonald.

The tenants and members of anti-poverty group Acorn Canada took their concerns to MLA Joanne Bernard’s office on Tuesday, but Bernard wasn’t available to meet with the protesters.

She tells CTV News she has only received one call about bedbugs and wasn’t aware the tenants would be at her office.

The head of Metro Housing met with tenants last month and says she presented them with a plan. One area deals with how pests get into the buildings and how they move around.

“We understand how frustrating and upsetting it is and we’re working as hard as we can to put some things in place,” says Janet Burns-Gerrans. “Looking at pipe chases, radiator holes, things that go in and out of the walls, we’re looking at baseboards, we’re looking at electrical outlets.”

She says tenant education and support is also important when dealing with pests.

“So that our tenants understand what things they can do to curb pest infestation, also, what behaviours contribute to pest infestation,” says Burns-Gerrans.

She says the measures will start right away.

Despite Metro Housing’s efforts, the tenants still want a face-to-face meeting with Bernard, who is also the community services minister.

“It’s a good start but we want to have her hear firsthand from the tenants,” says Darryl King of Acorn Canada. “Make the tenants feel safe. Get rid of the bedbugs, the cockroaches.”

Bernard says she is satisfied with Metro Housing’s approach, but is willing to meet with constituents at any time, if they make an appointment.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Jacqueline Foster