Renovictions are on the rise, but with skyrocketing rent prices, many have nowhere to go and now one Ottawa city councillor is teaming up to tackle the problem.
More than a dozen tenants in Vanier received eviction notices earlier this month after their two buildings were sold.
Debbie Staples, who has lived in her unit for 17 years, is one of them.
“We received a letter saying they’ll give us $5,000 for moving out and then about a week after that we got our N13,” said Staples.
The building’s new owner says extensive work needs to be done like plumbing, electrical and structural repairs.
It tells CTV News in a statement, “Property inspectors have conducted a thorough assessment and have strictly recommended that we proceed with the renovations immediately to address critical safety issues and improve overall living conditions.
“The decision to renovate an almost 80-year-old building is not taken lightly. It involves balancing the immediate needs and concerns of our tenants with the long-term benefits of ensuring a safe and modern living environment to the community.”
Staples, who pays roughly $500 a month for a bachelor, says there is no where else to go.
“I cried, I honestly cried; I almost want to cry now,” said Staples.
A report earlier this year shows renovictions are rising at an alarming rate.
“I get a notification about three to four times a week in my inbox about people getting evicted or renovicted, so the housing crisis is really coming to a head here, especially in areas like Rideau-Vanier,” said Rideau-Vanier Coun. Stéphanie Plante.
Plante has teamed up with Ottawa Community Land Trust and is using money allocated for her ward to purchase a 10-unit building in Vanier.
The purchase will keep rent affordable for the tenants who currently live there and for anyone who moves in in the future.
“Vanier is a community that wants housing solutions and not shelters, and this is absolutely a housing solution,” said Plante.
It’s the second building purchased by the community-run group, which buys rental properties in order to prevent renovictions and keep rent low for tenants.
For people like Debbie Staples, it’s a solution that can’t come soon enough.
“I have three brothers in town, but I really don’t have a place to go,” she said.Â