It was a knock at the door that ignited the battle.
As Yanick Marion hustled early one morning to get to work, the manager of his apartment building had a message: “You have to leave. You don’t have a choice,” he recalls.
The manager, Marion says, was insistent that electrical upgrades were needed in the aging 36-unit complex in Montreal.
“It’s dangerous for your life, and the bank wants you to leave,” Marion says he was told.
Other tenants received the same message — and many left, watching as their former apartments were given a fresh coat of paint, new windows and appliances, and the rent went up as new tenants came in.
So-called “renovictions” are up sharply across Canadian cities, complicating an already challenging housing situation.
In 2018, there were 37,000 new apartments built nationwide, but demand increased by 50,000 units, according to tracking done by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
The smallest provincial capital, Charlottetown, has one of the lowest rental vacancy rates in the country. It hovers just above zero per cent, and new Kijiji rental listings last just minutes before apartments are snapped up.
In Montreal, housing advocate Martin Blanchard says it’s a scenario that has happened before — every time vacancy rates drop toward zero, new owners snap up rental stock, renovate the units and increase the rent.
Blanchard says foreign firms are buying up older apartment complexes, adding to the problem of people being forced out of their homes. (CBC)
“We used to get 50 to 100 calls per year,” from people complaining about being forced out of their apartments by landlords, says Blanchard, a community organizer with Comité logement de la Petite Patrie, a housing advocacy group. “Now we get many hundreds every year. It’s a crisis.”
Blanchard points largely to foreign firms, which are buying up older apartment complexes in Canada’s big cities and attempting to jettison existing tenants so the rent can be jacked up beyond limits set by provincial governments.
“It’s a way of making outrageous profits in a very short time. So they’ve got a little money put down, you can make a lot of profit, but it involves putting people on the street.”
Many renters don’t know the rules
Legislation protecting renters varies from province to province, but often a tenant cannot be evicted simply because a landlord wants to renovate. Renters should be able to remain at an apartment under existing rules.
If construction is so significant that a tenant must temporarily move out, the landlord is often required to allow them to return to the unit — at the same price.
But building owners don’t always follow the rules, says Kenneth Hale, director of legal services for the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario.
“These kinds of evictions deserve special scrutiny about whether the applications are being brought in good faith.”
Kenneth Hale tells CBC’s David Common that legislation should be used to remove a landlord’s economic incentive to evict people. 0:27
Tenants Ontario urges renters facing these circumstances not to agree to anything and to contact them, though acknowledge they are inundated with calls now as they seek to bring cases forward to the provincial tribunal, the Landlord and Tenant Board.
Many of the cases that come across his desk involve low-level renovations that, he believes, are largely an excuse to get renters out in favour of those who will pay more.
The group has tracked a nearly four-fold increase in renovictions over the past couple of years, with cases reported to the centre soaring from 18 in 2015 to 71 in the 2018-19 fiscal year. It says the actual number is likely much higher, since the advocacy centre can only rely on what is reported to its office.
Hale wants new legislation to better protect tenants from renoviction.
“They should take away the economic incentive to evict people. And that would be by putting restrictions on the amount of rent increase that can happen in between tenants,” says Hale. “Because right now it’s unlimited. And we just see it as an opportunity for landlords to rent-gouge, and that shouldn’t be allowed.”
Toronto city Coun. Paula Fletcher says she wants the provincial government to require that a building permit is obtained before a renoviction, and have building inspectors ensure that the renovation/demolition is so substantial that it is indeed imperative the tenant move out.
“I think the Ontario government needs to change the bar for the Landlord Tenant Board,” she says.
Paula Fletcher tells CBC’s David Common that renovictions are a growing trend in the Toronto area. 0:40
Seeking certainty, many move out
Marion is still holding on to his basement unit in Montreal, though two-thirds of the other apartments have been vacated, including that of his former neighbour Radina Papukchieva.
“It was eight months of pressure, and it just became like a psychological stress,” Papukchieva says.
“We had mice. Garbage wasn’t getting picked up. They were doing everything to make us feel uncomfortable and unwanted in our own place.”
But Papukchieva and Marion’s former landlord disputes that. Abraham Kellner, the manager of the building, says plumbing fixes alone cost $100,000.
“I can tell you that we did plumbing, electricity, kitchens, toilets, windows, floors,” he says. “I mean, it wasn’t minor at all.”
The company that bought the apartment tried to do the best for all parties and did everything in good faith, Kellner says.
Kellner wouldn’t say how much rent new tenants coming in after the renovations are being charged, but denied it had doubled.
“It depends on the apartment, but after it’s renovated … it’s normal that it’s going to be more,” he says. “But I wouldn’t say double, and in some cases — it’s hard to say, it’s a lot of apartments.”
Radina Papukchieva says she was pressured out of her apartment by her landlord, who then rented it to someone else for nearly double the rent she had been paying. (CBC)
Papukchieva said she, too, is paying more because of the move, going from a monthly cost of $725 to $1,000 just to stay in an increasingly pricey neighbourhood.
“They want to simply do cosmetic changes to the apartments, make them look super nice, keep it like that — they’re not doing anything to the exterior of the building,” Papukchieva says.
Price paid is more than financial
Some tenants pre-empt renovictions by offering to pay more to stay. But others aren’t given the choice.
In Toronto, Ivan Wadgymar resisted an eviction notice — but lost in a tribunal because the new owners converted the building from residential to commercial. It was at the hearings, seeing other tenants in the same position, that he says he realized the impact the rapidly growing number of renovictions is having on the fabric of his city.
“It took me going to those meetings and seeing people cry who are getting evicted as well to make me understand what a home is … how important it is to feel that you have a home. And then get kicked out of it.”
The owner of the company that bought his building says they “approach all projects with the rights and respect of the tenants and the law in mind.”
“We care about our community and we are dedicated to working with our city throughout the process,” says Basem Hanna.
Yanick Marion has refused to leave his basement unit in Montreal, though he says two-thirds of the other apartments around him have been vacated. (CBC)
But Wadgymar feels the neighborhood is changing and is increasingly unaffordable.
He now helps others fight against renovictions, though he’s doing so from a bedroom in his mother’s house, because the small-business operator is no longer able to afford rent in the area he called home for three years.
“I’ve been pretty depressed since this happened,” Wadgymar says. “I haven’t even unpacked my stuff … I’m still absorbing this.”
The building where he used to live is now fenced off, with construction supplies visible through the windows. His name has been removed from the buzzer on the door.
Public protests
With its proximity to the downtown core, Toronto’s Leslieville neighbourhood has become increasingly desirable. Many of its low-rise apartment buildings are more than 50 years old and are being scooped up by companies with a track record for renovictions, according to Fletcher, the city councillor for the area.
“I always say we cannot build affordable housing as fast as tenants in these types of rental situations are being evicted,” she says.
Toronto Coun. Paula Fletcher says she wants to see changes to the Landlord And Tenant Act to help stop renovictions. (CBC)
When some tenants in Fletcher’s ward got notices to leave recently, she joined them in a protest outside the building. She also wants the Landlord and Tenant Board to demand proof that planned renovations are so extensive, that there is no other option but for a tenant to move out.
“There’s only a few companies that come in and do this, but they seem to have a plan. Get in. Get the building. Give the notices. Renovate. Triple the existing rent,” she says. “It’s a pattern.”
Against the rainy Paris night sky, Celine Dion staged the comeback of her career with a powerful performance from the Eiffel Tower to open the Olympic Games.
The triumphant return confirmed weeks of speculation that Quebec’s crown jewel of pop would be part of the opening ceremony watched by millions around the world.
Even that anticipation couldn’t foreshadow the poignancy of the moment — a defiant Dion singing her heart out from the edge of the tower less than two years after going public with her debilitating stiff person syndrome diagnosis.
Dressed in a sparkling Dior white beaded gown, Dion stood beneath the glowing Olympic rings while she sang Édith Piaf’s “L’Hymne à l’amour” with the same command that earned her a reputation as a one-of-a-kind performer.
She was accompanied by a pianist whose grand piano shimmered with light bouncing off the puddled rain.
As the song reached its crescendo, Dion was visibly emotional but she held her composure.
The performance was the grand finale of a four-hour show that saw about 6,800 athletes face the pouring rain as they travelled down the Seine River on dozens of boats.
The opening ceremony also featured musical appearances by Lady Gaga and Aya Nakamura, as well as countless dancers who paraded across a soaked runway to upbeat pop songs.
But it was the image of Dion perched on the first platform of the Eiffel Tower that might’ve best captured the spirit of the Games — a symbol of overcoming the odds.
Stiff person syndrome is a progressive illness that can cause muscle rigidity and severe spasms as well as affect a person’s vocal cords. It forced Dion to first postpone and then cancel all the remaining dates on her Courage World Tour for 2023 and 2024.
When she appeared in an April cover story for Vogue France, Dion spoke of her hopes of one day seeing the Eiffel Tower again. At the time, she offered no assurances she would ever sing publicly but insisted she wasn’t giving up.
She told the magazine her willpower was pushing her to work “very hard” at being able to perform live again one day, likening the experience to training like an athlete.
“I’ve chosen to work with all my body and soul, from head to toe, with a medical team,” she said at the time.
“I want to be the best I can be.”
It ended up being an Olympic comeback in other respects as well.
Earlier in her career, Dion performed “The Power of the Dream” at the 1996 Olympics opening ceremony in Atlanta with fellow Canadian David Foster and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
It was a pivotal moment in her rise to worldwide stardom, a year before “My Heart Will Go On” would become one of the top-selling songs of all time.
Whether Dion’s latest Olympics performance means she’s ready to return to the stage with greater aspirations is unclear.
In recent interviews to promote her Prime Video documentary “I Am: Celine Dion,” she expressed confidence, determination and caution over what her career might look like going forward.
But Dion has always kept tight control of her narrative, which is why some believed her decision to re-emerge might be a sign that the 56-year-old is making further plans.
Her performance in Paris earned praise from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who called Dion a Canadian icon and an “incredible” talent.
“She overcame a lot to be there tonight,” Trudeau wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Céline, it’s great to see you singing again.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 26, 2024
BLAINE, Minn. (AP) — Taylor Pendrith shot a 7-under 64 on Friday to take a two-stroke lead over Matt NeSmith into the weekend in the 3M Open.
Playing in windier afternoon conditions, Pendrith made a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-4 16th and tapped in for another birdie on the par-5 18th. He had a 12-under 130 total at the TPC Twin Cities, playing the first 36 holes without a bogey.
The 33-year-old Canadian from Richmond Hill, Ont., won the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in May in Texas for his first PGA Tour title. He tied for fifth last week in the Barracuda Championship in California.
Seeking his first PGA Tour victory, NeSmith lost in a playoff two weeks ago at the ISCO Championship in Kentucky, his lone top-10 finish in 20 prior starts this season. He has missed 11 cuts.
The event is the second-to-last tournament before the FedEx Cup playoffs begin, with some players near the 70-player cutoff failing to advance to the weekend.
Nick Dunlap (64th in the standings), Luke List (71st) and defending champion Lee Hodges (73rd) missed the cut.
Mackenzie Hughes of Hamilton, Ont., Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., and Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., are all tied for 18th at 6 under.
“Today was pretty tricky with the wind, it was blowing pretty hard at times, so my speed was great all day and stayed really patient,” Pendrith said. “I didn’t really have many good looks through the first hour … and was able to stay patient and make a couple, made a couple longer ones, which was nice.”
NeSmith had a 64 in the morning before wind gusts topping 33 kilometres per hour hit the course in the afternoon and early evening.
“Patience is key out here whether it be to win golf tournaments, to make cuts, to try and keep your card to try and get in the top 30,” NeSmith said. “I think it pertains to each and every person out here.
“You never know when you’re going to get hot, you never know when good golf’s coming. Just kind of try and be patient, try and keep calmer heads and you never know what will happen.”
First-round leader Jacob Bridgeman had a 70 to drop three strokes back at 9 under with Andrew Putnam (66). Doug Ghim (64), Lanto Griffin (66), Alex Smalley (65) and Jhonattan Vegas (66) were 8 under.
“I felt like anything under par today was pretty good, especially in the afternoon,” said Bridgeman, one of the last players to tee off Friday.
“The wind was blowing really hard in the beginning of the round, caught a little bit of a lull at the end, which was nice. But greens were kind of bumpy from all the traffic. … I stayed patient all day, didn’t really have a whole lot of great chances.”
CARNOUSTIE, Scotland (AP) — K.J. Choi of South Korea has a two-shot lead over Canadian Stephen Ames at the Senior British Open after carding a second consecutive 3-under 69 Friday.
Choi surged ahead after he eagled the par-5 12th hole and had a 36-hole total of 6-under 138 at Carnoustie.
“Today’s iron shots were better than yesterday and still inside six, seven foot; the putter, reading is very difficult,” Choi said. “Couple of mistakes on some shots and couple of mistakes with the putter but still scored the same as yesterday.”
Overnight leader Ames was Choi’s nearest chaser going into the weekend. The naturalized Canadian citizen from Trinidad shot par for the day.
Australia’s Richard Green (72) and Irishman Padraig Harrington (70) were three strokes off the lead.
Harrington was well placed to become the fifth man to win the British Open and Senior British Open.
“We’ve only played 36 holes. Feels like we’ve done 72,” Harrington said.
“Been a tough 36 holes with that weather and wind and you’ve got to all be on, and I’m sure it’s going to be another 36 of tough mental fortitude to come.”
