The owner of a Chatham apartment building where tenants are being asked to leave for renovations is defending the decision.
Residents of Terrace Forty were given notices earlier this month that they would have to leave by the end of March due to asbestos.
Each was given the option to move back after eight months of work, with no guarantee of keeping their current rent, or terminate their lease for $5,000.
The vast majority of tenants have decided to fight back, claiming the renovations are only being done so rents can be increased.
Rex Brondial, the President and Owner of Ontario Real Estate Service, told CK News Today this is not true.
"If we don’t fix our buildings, we’re slumlords. If we do fix them up, we’re greedy. We’re just trying to upgrade our buildings and survive. We have welcomed all the tenants back after the asbestos and lead is removed and the units [have been] upgraded, yet we’re still treated like we’re the bad guys," read a statement from Brondial.
The tenants and Jeff Wilkins, a paralegal with the Chatham-Kent Legal Clinic, continue to fight back against the need to renovate. This is because there was no sudden discovery of asbestos, as it's been common knowledge among residents for years. Health Canada also states that asbestos poses no significant health risks when left undisturbed.
Another issue that Wilkins and the tenants have is Brondial's history of renovictions. In 2024, people living at Aspen Towers in Ottawa received similar notices after the building was purchased by Brondial.
The notices given to Terrace Forty tenants also included the wrong address. Instead, it mentioned 70 Devonshire, a building in Tillsonburg where tenants were also recently given notices to leave due to renovations.
CK News Today has been unable to confirm whether Brondial owns that building.
In his statement, Brondial directed potential backlash elsewhere.
"The socialist agenda has ruined our housing in Canada, and until common sense returns, expect for things to get worse for every Canadian," he explained.
Brondial did not say whether the rent for Terrace Forty residents would remain the same or increase after the renovations.
