{"id":5355,"date":"2021-11-16T11:28:46","date_gmt":"2021-11-16T16:28:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acorncanada.org\/hamilton-spectator-beasley-tenants-call-landlord-halt-renovictions-could-displace-more-dozen\/"},"modified":"2021-11-16T11:28:46","modified_gmt":"2021-11-16T16:28:46","slug":"hamilton-spectator-beasley-tenants-call-landlord-halt-renovictions-could-displace-more-dozen","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/acorncanada.org\/news\/hamilton-spectator-beasley-tenants-call-landlord-halt-renovictions-could-displace-more-dozen\/","title":{"rendered":"Hamilton Spectator: Beasley tenants call on landlord to halt \u2018renovictions\u2019 that could displace more than a dozen residents"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tPosted November 16, 2021<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\"\"A group of downtown Hamilton tenants and housing advocates are calling on a local developer to halt evictions that they say will disproportionately affect racialized and low-income residents.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\tDozens of people rallied in front of 192 Hughson St. N. on Monday afternoon, carrying signs calling for the end of \u201crenovictions\u201d and \u201cdemovictions\u201d \u2014 tactics that housing advocates say landlords use to get tenants out and raise rents under the guise of repairs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\tThe Beasley highrise, along with 181 John St. N., make up Ventura Towers, which were taken over by Hamilton-based Valery Group \u2014 the parent company of Valery Homes and Valery Properties \u2014 in mid-October.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\tSpeaking to the crowd, longtime tenant Terry Ross said more than a dozen residents residing on the first six floors of both buildings were given notice earlier this month that their units will be demolished and tenants will have to move out by March 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\tIn letters provided to The Spectator, Valery Properties alerted tenants on Oct. 14, 2021, that they would be assuming management of the buildings effective immediately.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\tThen, just three weeks later on Nov. 1, more than a dozen tenants living on the first six floors of each building were given notice from Valery that the highrises would be undergoing \u201cextensive renovation\u201d and their floor would \u201cnot be reasonably fit for habitation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\tResidents and activists are reflected in a front window of 192 Hughson Ave. N. on Monday as they protested.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\tIn a statement to The Spectator, Valery Group director of marketing Dyna Teal said the buildings \u201cwill be undergoing a demolition to produce 200 new rental units to help assist with the Hamilton housing shortage.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\tValery then offered those tenants \u201ccompensation packages\u201d which would then end their tenancy at the apartment complex. The company offered tenants three different options, ranging from $20,000 to $10,000, each with its own required move-out date.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\tTenants were given until Nov. 8 to pick a package, and if none was chosen, they would then be issued an N13 eviction notice, according to the letter. N13 notices are the Ontario eviction form for demolitions, repairs or conversion of rental units.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\tVanessa Jeffrey, a tenant advocate, moderated a rally for residents.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\tThen, on Nov. 9, tenants were again offered compensation packages, which they had until Nov. 15 to accept.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\tIf they didn\u2019t, their eviction notice for March 8, 2022, \u201cwould stand,\u201d according to the company.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\tTeal said Valery Properties is \u201cgoing over and above\u201d what is required under tenant legislation in the province, while claiming their \u201cgenerous packages\u201d offer tenants \u201cconsiderably greater compensation than what is legally required.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\tSpeaking to the crowd, Gachi Issa of the Hamilton Community Legal Clinic, said some residents of the building, which face language barriers, \u201cdid not understand what was going on\u201d before they signed the agreements.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\tGachi Issa from the Hamilton Community Legal Clinic speaks at a rally for residents from buildings on Hughson and John streets.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\tShe noted that most of the residents impacted by the evictions are racialized and low-income.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\tLyndon George, executive director of Hamilton\u2019s Anti-Racism Resource Centre, said affected tenants have expressed worry about where they\u2019ll find a place to live amid an affordable housing crisis in the city.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt was heartbreaking to hear that, but that\u2019s the reality of the situation,\u201d said George.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\tDuring the rally, tenants hand-delivered a letter to the building office calling on Valery to have a meeting with residents in order to \u201cfind a solution that does not result in tenants being permanently displaced from their homes and neighbourhood.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\tMarie Clark, 83, is a resident of 192 Hughson Ave. N., where activists and residents rallied Monday to protest planned evictions, including hers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\tLongtime resident Marie Clark, 83, is one of tenants facing eviction. The senior told the crowd that she has had to contend with bedbugs and no heat in the building.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s not very good,\u201d said Clark.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t***<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\tArticle by Fallon Hewitt for the Hamilton Spectator<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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