The minister responsible for NL Housing says government is serious about cracking down on so-called trap houses that are creating a nightmare in towns and neighbourhoods across the province.

For years, residents terrorized by noise, traffic and criminal activity at certain homes have been seeking the support of law enforcement, municipal government and NL Housing to address the problem.

The MHA for St. John’s West, Keith White, raised the matter with minister responsible for housing, Joedy Wall, in the House of Assembly.

“Residents of Birmingham Street in Cowan Heights in my district have lived next to a documented drug house, while the landlord knowingly continues to collect rent with minimal responsibility for the chaos in that property. Will the minister acknowledge that there’s a massive gap in our system that allows landlords to profit from criminal activity and will he commit to closing that gap?”  White asked.

“That is a very important issue and one that we are certainly cracking down on,” says Wall. “Since we’ve come into office…there have been, I’m not sure if there’s eight or nine of these so-called houses that we have closed.”  He says government is continuing to work with the RNC and NL Housing to address the matter. He thanked the public for speaking up. “This is very important; it’s a priority and we will get it solved.”