'If I have no choice, I'm going to have to live in my car': Tenants fight to stay in Ottawa apartment building

Tenants who are being evicted from their 16-storey apartment building on Richmond Road are banding together, holding a rally on Saturday, outside the place they call home.

"I work part time and I go to school, if I'm not able to maintain this price, I just can't do it," said Paul, a tenant who only wanted to use his first name.

"If I have no choice, I'm going to have to live in my car," said Nelda Giroux, tenant and ACORN member.

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More than 50 tenants are fighting to stay in their units, after the building's new owner handed them eviction notices last month.

"There was a day last week when I was just laying on my couch, balled up and I could not get up and I could not function," said Sue Simard, tenant and ACORN member.

 

Many of the tenants, including Simard, pay below market value for rent and say they can't afford to go anywhere else.

Richmond Road Management did not respond to our request for comment, but previously told CTV News Ottawa the evictions are necessary in order to renovate the 50-year-old building.

"While we sympathize with our residents, the decision to renovate the now 50-year-old apartments is crucial for ensuring the safety of our current and future residents. With most of the kitchens, bathrooms, electrical panels and flooring original from 1973, we must act now," it said in a previous statement.

"My apartment looks good. I took pictures of it. My counters are fine, my cupboards are fine. I don't see why you can't do that while I'm living there," said Simard.

An inside look at one of the units at 2935 Richmond Road where more than 100 tenants are being evicted for renovations on July 27, 2024. (Sue Simard/ handout)

David Wareham has lived in the building for 16 years and says he was forced into ending his lease for $5,000, but now he wants to stay.

"I've been harassed about it, 'sign or else,'" he said. "They put the $5,000 in your face and it's kind of tempting."

Advocates say the number of renovictions is rising at an alarming rate. Local MPP Chandra Pasma is calling for stiffer penalties for landlords who abuse the system and more affordable housing.

"Landlords are trying to renovict people because they know they can raise the rents on the next tenants because people are absolutely desperate for housing," said Pasma.

The rally got heated at times with a group of tenants confronting the building's superintendent, as many are desperate to stay in the place they call home.

"My father said to me that he felt like he was bask in the midst of his childhood trauma, having people who don't care about him making decisions about his life and not knowing where he was going," said Brandy Killeen. "My dad already barely scrapes by on what our government seems to think is acceptable for an old age pension."

The tenants have teamed up with community organization ACORN, which is calling on the city to implement a renoviction bylaw.

It's something the city is exploring, which would make it harder to evict tenants in order to charge a higher rent. That report is expected to come to council in September.