Some Syrian refugees in Saint John are dealing with the discovery of bedbugs in their homes.
Shilo Boucher, the president of the Saint John YMCA, says six Syrian families in the Crescent Valley area have found bedbugs.
“We worked really hard to make sure they weren’t exposed to it with the donated items they were receiving,” says Boucher. “We made sure every family got new beds, that the things being donated didn’t have cloth because they can stick to cloth, and so I feel like we set them up for success, but we are never aware of what’s happening within the apartments themselves.”
“The government has done what they could to make sure these people have clothing and furniture and, in a lot of cases, it’s been brand new,” says pest control expert Greg Flynn. “But these people have arrived with basically the shirts on their back, so they’re going to accept the new furniture, but I think they’re going to accept secondhand stuff too, and that’s probably the largest cause of bedbugs spreading.”
Flynn says it’s important to note that when people are dealing with bedbugs, they’re not always to blame for the infestation.
“It’s got nothing to do with poor sanitization or anything like that,” he says. “There’s [$300,000, $400,000, $500,000] homes in the city that have had bedbugs just as much as the low-cost housing.”
The YMCA is working with the province and Crescent Valley to fumigate homes in the area.
They will also be holding information sessions for newcomers who are still settling in.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Ashley Blackford
