MP Duncan’s Open Letter on Cumberland Gardens Mass-Evictions
For the full PDF version of the letter, click here.
Tuesday, March 22nd, 2022
Bedford Properties and Estates Ltd.
14-30 Eglinton Avenue West
Mississauga, Ontario
L5R0C1
Re: Open Letter on Attempted 85-unit Mass Eviction of Cumberland Gardens (Cornwall, Ontario)
To Whom It May Concern,
After several good faith, but ultimately unsuccessful, attempts to speak to a representative from Bedford Properties and Estates Ltd., I am left in no other position than to follow up publicly with this open letter regarding your attempt to mass evict 85 units this summer at your Cumberland Gardens property in Cornwall, Ontario.
As you may imagine, a mass eviction of this magnitude in a small city like Cornwall has many of your tenants worried and filled with anxiety. The simple fact that you chose not to engage or work with local community leaders on a reasonable plan to relieve this unnecessary anxiety speaks volumes about your priorities and your shallow value set.
As the City of Cornwall’s federal representative, I am fully aware that landlord and tenant relations are not the responsibility of the federal government, but rather the Ontario provincial government.
Nevertheless, the housing and rental crisis in our country today has become national in scope. Home ownership is out of reach for too many Canadians. The new supply of houses and rental opportunities are extremely low and the lack of units is driving up the price of rent in communities like Cornwall at a rate we haven’t seen in decades.
I have an obligation to stand up and speak out for the residents in my community. For those who feel voiceless and scared, and who feel that a distant and cruel corporate landlord is trying to shatter their livelihood with little regard for the vulnerable, but entirely avoidable, situation they find themselves in.
In the midst of this unprecedented pressure on rental and housing markets, your selfish, short-sighted and shameful actions could force dozens of local families into unsafe living conditions. At worst, these families would be homeless.
Mass-evicting all units at the same time is absurd, heartless, and completely unnecessary.
As the property owner, I understand your right to renovate your residences and we agree that Cumberland Gardens is in need of these renovations. Having said that, it is clear that with respect to the planned renovations, Cumberland Gardens is a very easy property to take a phased and responsible approach.
Rather than having all 85 units in one or two large buildings that could justify needing an empty building to complete repairs, there are a number of smaller apartment buildings and townhouses that would allow you to do your renovations one or two buildings at a time. Labour and materials are already in tight supply, so your 7-month timeframe is unlikely. To date, you have refused to disclose the scope of the renovations to know whether an eviction is even necessary, and why all the units needed to be vacated at the same time.
I will be blunt and fully transparent about what your true goals appear to be: you are doing business this way not to prioritize the renovation of Cumberland Gardens or improve the standard of living of your residents, but to prioritize your profits. Allegations of misleading and bullying tactics towards your tenants into ending their leases so you can increase the price of rent, and make more money, is a blatant attempt at a “reno-viction” scheme.
Sadly, there have been other attempts by selfish and heartless corporate landlords who have tried to do the same thing. They pressure and mislead tenants into thinking they must accept a short-term payout and that they have no right to return to the renovated unit. Then they drag-out the renovations, citing ‘’unforeseen circumstances’’. Finally, they bet on the tenants giving up and finding somewhere else to live.
Bedford Properties appears to be doing exactly that with your Cumberland Gardens property.
Your strategy, especially by refusing to talk to local officials on a reasonable plan for your tenants, is obvious and it’s shameful. I firmly believe the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board will see right through your carelessness, use the existing provincial laws in place to protect against this, and order a staggered renovation schedule rather than a mass eviction all at one time.
Finally, I also want to be clear that your unethical and coldblooded business practices are not a reflection on all landlords. Whether they are individuals simply trying to make a living, businesses or corporations who own a large portfolio, the overwhelming majority of landlords are good, compassionate people.
Sadly, the actions of Bedford Properties and Estates shows how a small number of businesses and executives as private sector landlords lack a moral compass and compassion in the name of selfishly seeking to exploit an already overheated housing and rental market in Cornwall and the surrounding area.
Despite the ignored message, you can come to the table and save months of hearings and legal actions. You can stagger the renovations in phases to ensure a reasonable number of tenants can find a home while the renovations take place until they can move back in again.
You have my personal cell phone number from the several voicemails I left over the past few weeks.
I await your response and invitation to meet with myself and other local leaders to resolve this issue immediately.
You have a moral obligation to do so.
Sincerely,
Eric Duncan
Member of Parliament, Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry
cc. His Worship Mayor Glen Grant, City of Cornwall
Cornwall City Councillors
MPP Jim McDonell
The Honourable, Steve Clark, Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Robert Coulombe, Executive Director, Roy McMurtry Legal Clinic
