Prince Albert businessman offers partial solution to ongoing housing issue with Meth Busters Inc.

NC Raine
Reporter of the Local Journalism Initiative
Eagle feather news

A Prince Albert businessman thinks he can help restore housing.

Clarence Natomagan, owner of Meth Busters Inc, works with several housing authorities in the province, but would like to work with more Nations.

He wants to teach communities how to safely clean houses of meth.

“I have all the right technology and solutions that guarantee success every time we leave a facility,” Natomagan said. “I’m eager to build capacity with First Nations to help them become self-sufficient.”

What started as something to do for a living during the pandemic is now his full-time profession.

“I got into this (business) after hearing how much health effects meth use in the home (has) on kids,” he said.

The more Natomagan learned about clearing houses of meth, the more she realized she was making a difference.

“Meth vapors can stick in the micro crevices of a wall, paint and wood fibers,” he said. “Cleaning it up is almost like trying to remove permanent marker from a wall.”

Meth or Methamphetamines are a type of amphetamine, which speeds up the body’s central nervous system and creates addiction.

“It’s at an epidemic level,” Natomagan said. “Young people use it. Old people use it. They say all it takes is one hit to really get you addicted.”

According to the Saskatchewan Coroners Service, from 2016 to 2021, there were 551 meth-related deaths and more than half of those deaths were Indigenous.

Last year, the city of Prince Albert was found to have more traces of methamphetamine per capita in its wastewater than any other city in Canada, meaning methamphetamine is being used in residential households in the area.

On social media, several First Nations have resorted to expelling residents suspected of selling or using drugs.

Buildings where meth is used become contaminated with chemicals, making them unsafe for occupancy.

Natomagan believes he can help save these homes and make them livable again.

His remediation company cleans up drug-contaminated households or buildings.

Exposure to low levels of methamphetamine residues, ingredients, and byproducts can cause headaches, nausea, dizziness, and fatigue. At high levels it can cause shortness of breath, coughing, chest pain, dizziness, along with eye and tissue irritation.

“It’s a lot like cigarette smoke — if you have a smoker in your house for five years, the ceilings and walls start to turn yellow,” Natomagan said. “The house is smoking. The meth residue is similar.”

The cleaning process, from start to finish, takes four to five days.

First, any porous material such as fabric curtains and furniture is thrown away. Then, every part of the house and its contents are cleaned with a special solution called cleaning crystal and vacuumed with a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) vacuum. Finally, the home is rinsed and wiped down before being inspected by an agency and deemed safe for habitation.

Natomagan says the homes he’s cleaned have passed all safety checks, meaning the homes can be saved instead of boarded up, condemned or destroyed.

Meth Busters Inc is a member of the Better Business Bureau of Saskatchewan and can be reached at 306) 940-8932.