The Alberni Valley Senior Citizens Homes Society (AVSCHS) is under fire after multiple tenants of Pioneer Towers have filed for dispute resolution with the B.C. Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB).
There are currently four Pioneer Towers tenants with active filings and hearings scheduled throughout Sept. and Oct.
According to Anita Eskola, community advocate supporting the tenants of Pioneer Towers, the total amount of compensation being sought by the tenants is “substantial”.
Managed by Sandra Rose, Pioneer Towers is a seven-story housing complex that serves residents who are elderly, disabled and often living on low or fixed incomes. Rents range from $500 to $700 per month and include heat, hot water, and hydro. The apartment complex has 56 rental units total and was built in 1971.
The claims filed are primarily related to significant breaches of the Residential Tenancy Act, including:
- Loss of Quiet Enjoyment: Caused by prolonged renovations, scaffolding, plastic wrapped around the building for an extended period, and lack of privacy.
- Health and Safety Failures: Including mold contamination and bed bug infestations.
- Landlord Retaliation: Instances of harassment and intimidation.
Ucluelet First Nation Lyle Williams, 66, is 70 per cent blind and has stage four cancer. A longstanding tenant of Pioneer Towers, Williams is currently paying monthly rent for his unit but staying with a friend to avoid further harassment from the manager – and until his dispute resolution with the RTB is concluded.
“It’s not comfortable for me anymore. I’d rather get the heck out of there,” he said. “The ceiling came down and she blamed me for that. How am I going to get up there and pull it down?”
On Aug. 16, 2025, Williams received an End Tenancy For Cause notice from AVSCHS. The Society said he must move out of the rental unit by Sept. 30, 2025. Williams's RTB hearing is scheduled for Oct. 2.
“We have filed to dispute the notice to the end tenancy he received, and we will be arguing against the landlord's action at that hearing. We are currently preparing his evidence,” said Eskola in an email.
Other tenants of Pioneer Towers relate similar allegations of mismanagement, harassment and landlord retaliation.
Tenant Cynthia Mack of Toquaht Nation has Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), a common lung disease that causes breathing problems. She lives on the sixth floor but requested to be transferred to a ground-floor unit. Mack says her transfer was denied, only to see that unit later given to a new tenant.
“I’ve been in and out of the hospital. She won’t move me downstairs. Social assistance from the hospital actually emailed her suggesting that they put me on the bottom floor in case I need an ambulance and the elevator is out,” shared Mack.
“It’s just a nightmare here. She won’t even look at me,” said Mack.
AVSCHS says “they categorically deny any harassment or retaliatory behaviour toward our tenants.”
“We are committed to respectful and professional communications at all times, and we take all complaints seriously,” wrote AVSCHS secretary/treasurer Gay Allen in a Sept. 3 letter to the Ha-Shilth-Sa.
“Pioneer Towers has a formal complaint process in place, and all concerns are reviewed and addressed accordingly,” the letter continues.
Eskola raised issues with the AVSCHS complaint process, saying it lacks a trauma-informed and accessibility aware approach.
“When consistent patterns of concern arise from multiple residents, particularly those facing barriers, the Board has a duty to investigate proactively and fairly, not passively await perfect documentation,” wrote Eskola in some correspondence with the board she shared with the Ha-Shilth-Sa.
AVSCHS recently hired security for Pioneer Towers.
“The decision to hire security personnel was made in response to a recent increase in aggressive behaviour directed at staff. Their presence is solely for staff safety and does not reflect any change in our approach to tenant relations,” reads the letter from AVSCHS.
“As a privately owned business, our Society reserves the right to make staffing decisions that ensure a safe and functional environment for all,” states AVSCHS.
Living conditions deteriorate amid delayed renovations, tenants say
Residents endured a BC Housing renovation that began in Nov. 2023. The $3.2 million Capital Renewal Funding project was originally scheduled to be completed Aug. 2024, but “due to some scope-related changes and challenges retaining skilled trades” BC Housing says the timeline was extended by a year. The renovation was completed on budget in Aug. 2025.
“The scope of work included replacing windows and the protective outer layer of the building, renovating the front entranceway to make it wheelchair accessible and barrier-free, and upgrades to the building’s electrical and mechanical systems,” said BC Housing.
During the renovations, tenants say living conditions deteriorated amid the delays. Tenants reported ongoing hot water shortages, vague notices of entry, and a loss of privacy, as window coverings were removed and not replaced during renovations.
BC Housing says day-to-day communications with residents around the renovation were handled by AVSCHS.
“As with all renovation projects funded by BC Housing, project teams must adhere to good construction practices that minimize impacts on tenants. However, we recognize that living in a building that is under renovation can pose challenges for residents,” said BC Housing.
Mack says she hasn’t had blinds for her windows in a year.
“They took them down; they can put them back up. I am using a walker,” said Mack about the window coverings.
Pioneer Towers manager Rose said that window coverings are not and have never been included in the Tenancy Agreement at Pioneer Towers. She says they are currently in the process of purchasing and supplying blinds as a “courtesy” to the tenant after funding was approved in Aug. 2025, and that they hope to have them taken care of by the end of Sept. 2025.
“However, this is not a promise, everything depends on getting the windows measured, how cooperative tenants are, and of course we have to rely on our supplier, so that date is not concrete,” said Rose in an email.
