Verdun seniors say they're being renovicted

Seniors living in a Verdun apartment building say they’re being pushed out in an apparent renoviction.

A dozen seniors living in a building on Rielle Street received an eviction notice on Dec. 16. They have to be out by July.

"I bring in $1,200 a month and my rent is $796. I can’t find anything to rent at this price," said tenant Roger Grenier.

Tenants say the landlord told them in the summer that he planned to carry out major expansion work.

So far, no construction work has begun and the property is now listed on the real estate market for nearly $9 million.

Mass evictions are a troubling trend in the midst of a housing crisis, said Verdun housing advocate Lyn O'Donnell, from the Verdun Citizens' Action Committee.

"If you're evicted in Verdun, your chances of finding another place in your own community, in your own neighbourhood, are almost impossible," she said.

It's a worrisome situation, said Quebec Solidaire MNA for Verdun, Alejandra Zaga Mendez.

"We're asking today for the landlord to justify, say if the renovations being announced are really going to happen. Because that’s the reason he’s pushing the tenants to move," she said.

She also said while landlords have to justify evictions to the housing tribunal, the burden is on tenants to prove their tactics are abusive.

Quebec Housing Minister France-Elaine Duranceau said the province is looking into possibly strengthening the regulations around evictions.

"We're taking this seriously. We don’t want to make the rules, in general regarding lodging, more complicated but on this aspect of renovictions and everything, we’re looking at it closely," said Duranceau.

O'Donnell said evictions are particularly troubling for seniors, who rarely have the means to fight their case or find new housing.

"We see so many seniors facing eviction and the amount of anxiety and distress that we witness is shocking," she said.

CTV News reached out to the building's owner for comment but he did not respond.