Halifax, NS – On September 12, 2022, a Residential Tenancy Officer issued a decision dismissing the application by landlord Marcus Ranjbar (4364812 Nova Scotia Limited) to renovict tenant Stacey Gomez. On September 16th, the landlord filed a Notice of Appeal with the Small Claims Court of Nova Scotia seeking to have this decision overturned. The hearing has yet to be scheduled.
Ms. Gomez is requesting an in-person hearing. However, under Covid-19 safety measures currently in place, in-person hearings of claims are still rare. It is up to the discretion of the Adjudicator whether the request for an in-person hearing will be granted.
“Renovictions impact Nova Scotians across the province. Further, section 10AB is a recent amendment to the Residential Tenancies Act, which received Royal Assent on November 5, 2021. As far as we are aware, this section has not been tested in court,” reads a letter filed by Ms. Gomez’s legal counsel.
The letter continues: “A virtual hearing is an overly restrictive barrier to the accessibility of these proceedings to the public and the media. While these restrictive measures were put in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic, they should not persist in perpetuity at the expense of a foundational principle of our democratic society.”
Ms. Gomez has lived in the building on church street since December 2017. On December 20, 2021, the building was sold to Mr. Ranjbar.
On August 22nd, 2022, Ms. Gomez went public with a video documenting the egregious actions being taken by the landlord. The video, which has garnered thousands of views on YouTube, has been a lightning rod for conversations with regards to renovictions and landlord abuse in Nova Scotia.
Thus far, Ms. Gomez has raised over $2,500 towards her legal fees through an online fundraiser.
