Rally held in Sudbury after tenants say they were illegally evicted

Sudbury rally protests evictions There was a protest in Sudbury on Saturday where housing advocates claimed a landlord is trying to illegally evict seven tenants.

Sudbury — Over the weekend, there was a protest at a rooming house in Sudbury where many groups say tenants are being illegally evicted, given just seven days notice.

It's a tough situation for people with little or no affordable housing available in the city.

Steve Lane and his dog Charlie live in the building at 495 Notre Dame Ave. He said on March 23, he was given an eviction notice giving him one week to get out.

"Said we had to be out by the 1st and if we weren't out by the 1st, the locks were going to be changed on everything, we would be locked out of the building, building was going to be boarded up," Lane said. "And he also gave us a trespass notice too, that if we were on the property after the 1st we were going to be charged under the Trespass Act."

Lane said the heat and hydro was turned off for a day and half.

'Lost all our food'

"Lost all our food when he shut the power off, other people the same thing," he said.

On Saturday, the Sudbury Poverty and Advocacy Coalition held a two-hour protest to denounce the evictions. Supporters and tenants took part.

"We got involved and started talking to tenants and we were clear that they were being evicted unlawfully," said Ray Landry, the Homelessness Network Coordinator.

"Been given a short notice that they had to be out of there by April 1st and that goes against all of the laws that we know around tenancies."

Tenants told us there are still seven people living in the building with no place to move because of the critical shortage of affordable housing.

"It's very difficult, anyone who has been online looking knows how hard it is," said Lane. "There is single rooms out there, some for students and stuff, rents are going through the roof here. We are all pretty much on fixed income, everybody that is in here."

The Homelessness Network echoes the critical need for affordable housing.

"It's the bleakest," said Landry. "There is no such thing as affordable housing in Sudbury except for what the city is operating. And those applications we know are months and months and even years long for single individuals."

CTV News made several unsuccessful attempts to reach the landlord. A tenant showed us a letter stating the evictions are because the building has been sold.

Tenants told us the heat and hydro were turned back on Friday night and as of right now, they plan to stay in the place they call home until they are given proper eviction notices.