Residents of a supportive-housing complex near Mayfair shopping centre say they are having trouble sleeping because of a high-pitched noise coming from an anti-loitering device across the street.
The noise can be heard from inside some bedrooms at Muncey Place when windows are open, said Leah Young, director of housing and shelters at Our Place Society, which runs the supportive housing facility just south of Mayfair shopping centre.
Young said she understands the need to deter people from congregating outside the business, but she wondered if there is an alternative, such as music, that would be less jarring for the residents of Muncey Place.
“It’s really unfortunate, because a lot of our residents, you know, they’re working on the path of wellness, and sleep is an important thing for them,” Young said.
The device responsible for the high-frequency noise was installed just before Christmas by the mall in response to increasing concerns about loitering behind the Penningtons clothing store, said Mayfair’s operations manager Barry Greening.
People were setting up shelters right behind the back door of the store, sometimes blocking the door so staff couldn’t use the exit, Greening said.
“We had many occasions of defecation on the sidewalk back there, which created an unsafe condition for deliveries. So we couldn’t get in, couldn’t get out the back, which was very concerning. This seemed to be the most practical solution,” he said.
The noise is triggered only when someone is near the back area of Penningtons, and is not triggered by someone in front of Muncey Place or on the street, Greening said.
Greening said it’s becoming increasingly difficult to maintain property and the mall is doing “the least that we can.”
“The deterrent seems to be somewhat working, so I have no plans to be making changes to its operation,” he said.
The device was vandalized about two weeks ago and has not been operational since, but the mall intends to repair it, he said.
Willi Boepple, a resident of Muncey Place housing, which is across the street from the back of the Penningtons, said the noise is “almost painful” when she stands just outside the front door of her building.
“This is inhumane,” she said. “There’s got to be a better way than to torment innocent people like this.”
Boepple said she has phoned the City of Victoria’s bylaw department to complain.
The city confirmed it has received complaints and will be investigating.
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