St. Brigid's owner pleased with decision to uphold eviction of United People of Canada
The owner of the church that a Freedom Convoy-affiliated group has been occupying for weeks says he is pleased that a judge sided with him and ordered the group’s eviction.
Ontario Superior Court Justice Sally Gomery granted an application on Friday by the owners of St. Brigid’s in Lowertown to evict The United People of Canada (TUPOC) from the property, where they had set up what they called an “embassy.” The group was served an eviction notice more than a month ago, but dug in its heels, claiming the order was “illegal.”
Patrick McDonald, sought the court order to enforce the group's eviction, saying they failed to make $100,000 payments as part of a conditional sale of the church, owed $10,000 in rent and had broken heritage rules.
He told CTV News Friday night, as the group was packing up and leaving, that he was happy with the ruling.
“Delighted with the results. It was a very good decision and hopefully everything comes to a resolution, effective today,” McDonald said.
Gomery also ruled that TUPOC must pay $53,000 in costs to the owners of the property within 30 days. William Komer, the group's director, says TUPOC is planning to appeal the decision. Several members of the group could be seen packing up items Friday night.
McDonald said the occupation by TUPOC has been stressful.
“Sorry to the community down here that it’s been going on for such a period of time,” he said. “And my own family, obviously. It’s been a stressful time… We’d heard from some people in the TUPOC group that they’re going to stay here indefinitely… I’m glad that they’re packed up and gone.”
St. Brigid's Church was conditionally sold to the TUPOC group on June 15. Citizens in Lowertown expressed concern that some members of the group were affiliated with the convoy protest that occupied downtown Ottawa for three weeks in February. McDonald said the reaction to the new prospective owners was out of the ordinary.
“Normally, when someone comes to purchase a place, you don’t have immediate reaction to who they are,” he said. “Things turned and I think what has happened… is some of the people I had been originally introduced to disappeared off the scene—they were some of his business partners—and I think things went off the rail for him, as far as I can see.”
McDonald said Friday night that Komer hadn’t yet handed over the keys, but police told him that Komer was cooperating and removing his possessions from the property.
Ottawa police said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa that responding officers kept the peace at the scene as the occupants removed their belongings.
"When that was complete, the legal owner took possession of the property. There are no OPS officers at 310 St. Patrick Street today," Sgt. Jason Brown said in an email.
"Peace in the neighbourhood", residents say
Lowertown residents walking by St. Brigid's church on Saturday were happy to see TUPOC had left the property.
"These people have been rude, disruptive, disrespectful ….shooting people with water guns is ridiculous," said Sheila Ward.
"It was a really raw feeling and the feeling is very much alive in the community, and we are afraid it's going to start again."
Stuart MacMillan said the community did not want people affiliated with the group to be at the church.
"We're gonna have some peace in the neighbourhood for a while, it's great," MacMillan said.
St. Brigid's church remains on the market, with a $5.95 million price tag.
"This whole business has elevated the conversation about the value of St Brigid’s church and that it could be something incredible for our community," said Sylvie Bigras, president of the Lowertown Community Association.
--With files from CTV News Ottawa's Jeremie Charron.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Quebec judge orders bus driver to stand trial for 2023 daycare crash deaths
A judge has ordered a Quebec man to stand trial on charges of first-degree murder in the deaths of two children killed when a bus rammed into a Montreal-area daycare last year.
Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.