Vaccine relief for Hamilton highrise tenants, but more grief as mail delivery suspended

For Samira Makonen, shielding her four young children from coronavirus in her Hamilton highrise is top of mind.

The potential to catch the virus and infect them has her frightened to leave their apartment at 235 Rebecca St.

I don't even want to go down the hallway. You don't know who's sick in this apartment."

That's why the 32-year-old is relieved public health vaccinated her right at home.

Makonen was one of 86 residents vaccinated last weekend after the outbreak was declared at Rebecca Towers on May 3.

The on-site vaccinations and appointments at the FirstOntario Centre clinic came after a committee of tenants at the 17-storey building advocated for bolder action amid the emergency that has claimed one life.

Not far away, 59 tenants at Wellington Place, at 125 Wellington St. N., went to FirstOntario to receive shots Tuesday. At the Village, another highrise at 151 Queen St. N., 94 tenants were vaccinated at the York Boulevard clinic.

Public health wasn't able to say Friday how many homebound tenants at the two buildings had been vaccinated in their apartments.

Victoria Park Community Homes, the non-profit housing provider that operates the Village, is very proud" of its staff and community partners for their efforts during the crisis, chief executive officer Lori-Anne Gagne said.

The total case count at the Village since the outbreak was declared May 10 has reached 70, but the number of cases that remain active was down to 15 as of Friday, public health said.

At Wellington Place, there have been 45 cases, of which 19 remained active, and at Rebecca Towers, where the tally hit 110, the active number was down to five.

Gagne thanked Wesley Urban Ministries, which delivered 100 bags of food to isolating families at the Village last week, and Circle of Friends For Newcomers, an agency that offers English-as-a-second-language classes in a centre at the residential complex, for its support.

But amid the gratitude there's mounting frustration over Canada Post's decision to stop delivering mail to the Village since the outbreak began.

That's not fair," Elizabeth Sadler, vice-chair of the Circle of Friends board, said Friday.

Sadler said the interruption of mail deliver means some are waiting for the government cheques they'd expected. People are going to have further hardships."

It's no different for some residents at 125 Wellington St. N. and 235 Rebecca St.

Lots of people in our building are not set up with direct deposit, so they're waiting for their cheques," said Arefin Chowdhury, a member of the Rebecca Towers tenant committee.

Canada Post has told residents to pick up their mail at its depot at 75 Frid St., which is west of Dundurn Street South.

It is our responsibility to ensure that our employees, who visit hundreds of addresses every day, can deliver mail and parcels safely," spokesperson Nicole Lecompte said in an email.

Postal workers have died after contracting coronavirus while on duty, said Terry Langley, president of Canadian Union of Postal Workers Local 548, which has about 1,400 members in Hamilton.

While I completely sympathize with the struggles the residents at these locations are going through because of the suspension of mail delivery, our absolute priority as a union has to be the safety of front-line postal workers during these very dangerous times."

For many, a long walk to Frid Street, west of Dundurn Avenue South, is not possible, Chowdhury. Add to that, the fear of infection. They don't want to step out from the building."

Chowdhury and Sadler alike also urge public health to organize more vaccinations for tenants.

Teviah Moro is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: tmoro@thespec.com