Tenants union fighting 'largest renovictor in Ontario'
Tenants from two Kitchener, Ont. apartment buildings worry they could soon be renovicted.
Residents say N13 notices were slipped under the doors of at least eight units at 141 Borden Avenue and 149 Borden Avenue, stating that they had to be out before renovations begin on Jan. 31, 2025.
Bree Hill has lived in her unit for the last 11 years.
She worries she won’t be allowed to move back in – or even pay the same rent.
Leaving her, and her three-month old son, with nowhere to go.
“We got our first notice two weeks ago, when I brought him home,” Hill told CTV News. “Which is not really a great housewarming thing to do.”
“I was furious because I was just out of the hospital after a stroke,” said Jayne Forbes, who has lived in her Borden Avenue apartment for seven years. “Two days later, there’s a notice on our door saying we’re being renovicted.”
She’s familiar with process.
Forbes said her family has been through three renovictions at three different buildings.
This time, though, she’s fighting back.
Seeking answers
“This is not right that he’s taking initiative to try and just put people out. Just saying he’s going to do work on the apartment. No, no, no. That’s not what you do. This is a home for people,” Forbes said. “We have nowhere else to go.”
The “he” she’s referring to is the man listed as the business director of the company that recently purchased the Borden Avenue building.
“Michael Klein tends to buy older buildings where the rents are lower because they’re rent-controlled, where there’s been tenants that have been living there for years, if not decades,” said Jacquie Wells, co-chair of the Acorn Waterloo Region chapter. “Many are low income, retired on fixed income, workers and families.”
Acorn, a tenants’ union, alleges companies associated with Klein have purchased buildings in communities from London to Toronto.
They’ve dubbed him the “largest renovictor in Ontario.”
“[He] starts off by renaming the company owning the building,” Wells explained. “It’s often either a numbered company, or a company that is just named after the address. And he separates himself. So it’s very hard for tenants to actually know who the owner is of their building.”
Acorn also calls him a “ghost,” as they haven’t been able to track him down.
CTV News also attempted to find contact information for Klein through various channels, but were unsuccessful. Most of his corporate profiles list different addresses.
Tenants said they took part in Wednesday’s protest because they have nothing left but their voices.
“I don’t want to lose my home,” Hill said. “I can’t afford anything else and I’m on maternity leave, too. Even before mat leave, I couldn’t afford it.”
Acorn is asking all levels of government to step up and create a landlord registry, along with other regulations.
Hamilton’s renoviction bylaw
Hamilton was the first city in Ontario to develop an anti-renoviction bylaw. Set to begin Jan. 1, 2025, landlords would be required to apply to the city before issuing an N13 notice for renovations, repairs or demolitions.
“Through this new process, the city gains awareness when an eviction notice has been issued to a tenant so it can help make sure tenants are offered supports where needed, including their right to move back into the unit once renovations are complete,” a press release stated.
Kitchener’s response
CTV News reached out to officials in Kitchener to find out if they would consider a similar bylaw.
“Evictions are not within the jurisdiction of the City of Kitchener – they are governed under provincial authority in accordance with the Residential Tenancies Act,” they explained in an email.
Kitchener does, however, have a rental replacement bylaw.
“The bylaw applies to properties where six or more rental units are proposed to be demolished,” the city explained in their email. “This bylaw provides tenants with three options: a rental replacement unit, a payout or a rent waiver. This bylaw provides a measure of security and stability to tenants and predictability to our development industry partners.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Israel presses forward on two fronts as fears of a wider war mount
Israel pressed forward on two fronts Wednesday, pursuing a ground incursion into Lebanon against Hezbollah and conducting strikes in Gaza that killed dozens, including children.
Bloc leader says ultimatum stands after Liberals vote against motion seeking boost to seniors' benefits
Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet says his ultimatum to the government stands, after the Liberals voted against a motion seeking money to boost seniors' benefits on Wednesday.
BREAKING Toronto police officer rushed to hospital after being shot
Toronto police say an officer has been shot while conducting an investigation midtown.
Trump 'resorted to crimes' after losing 2020 U.S. election, prosecutors say
Donald Trump 'resorted to crimes' after losing the 2020 election, federal prosecutors said in a court filing unsealed Wednesday.
Northern Ont. trial begins with shocking details about murder scene
The jury at the trial of a second-degree murder suspect in Sudbury on Wednesday heard graphic details of the crime scene discovered in a Kathleen Street apartment on Boxing Day 2020.
3 killer whales lost from endangered southern resident population: census
A census of endangered southern resident killer whales off the coast of British Columbia and Washington state shows the pods have lost three animals, bringing the population to 73, excluding a new calf born after the survey.
Canadian figure skater suspended at least 6 years for 'sexual maltreatment'
Canadian figure skater Nikolaj Sorensen has been suspended for at least six years for 'sexual maltreatment,' the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner announced Wednesday.
Canada's October temperatures set to teeter-totter due to record-breaking U.S. heat
Moving into the second week of October, the eastern half of Canada can expect some brisker fall air to break down from the north
U.S. airline safety board raises alarm over foreign carriers that may have Boeing 737 rudder issue
At least forty foreign air carriers could be flying Boeing 737 jets with a rudder control system that has the potential to jam, according to the Chair of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.