MONTREAL -- Longtime tenants' rights advocate Ted Wright has died.
Wright ran the Westmount Legal Clinic for many years and was a fixture when it came to tenant and landlord issues.
He was 71 years old.
Wright was often outspoken and always well-versed when it came to housing issues and was the go-to person in English media when it came to tenants' rights often providing insight on the obligations and recourse available for tenants and landlords.
Friends have poured out their remembrances of him as a compassionate person who was always looking to help, and someone who treated people with respect.
"He was very generous," said friend Leonard Yelle. "He was real. He was just a lovely man and he will definitely be missed in the Mile End and Montreal."
Close friend Priscilla Andrea Duarte said he passed away of natural causes earlier in December.
Wright became Duarte's close friend and father figure when her own father passed away.
"You know how expensive it is to get a lawyer, and Ted would give advice for free," she said. "He didn't mind who you were, where you lived, he just asked for the information and he gave all the advice that he could to help you fight the rental board. A lot of people appreciated him for that."
Wright is the reason Duarte is now studying law.
