Sudbury tenants refused to pay rent, home was damaged in drive-by shooting

A Greater Sudbury homeowner says tenants who refused to pay rent devastated her property. She is sharing her story to advocate for landlord reforms.

A Greater Sudbury city councillor put out a public safety update on social media regarding a residence on Catherine Street in Garson that was subject to what she called problematic tenants who refused to leave.

One of the homeowners is sharing their story to advocate for change in hopes of preventing a similar situation.

The owner of a residence at 203 Catherine Drive says she fears for her safety and agreed to speak with CTV News Northern Ontario if we protected her identity.

She and her partner purchased the home in 2023, knowing there were tenants already living there. Last winter, the couple was planning to renovate the basement and live there when the upstairs tenants suddenly stopped paying their rent.

What followed were months of escalating battles, as the tenants were able to keep living in the home, rent-free.

“We filed for the nonpayment of rent and just kept adding as they went on,” the woman said.

“Obviously, we didn’t hear anything and within that time frame in the winter, our basement flooded.”

A formal complaint filed with the Landlord and Tenant Board of Ontario didn’t help matters, she said.

To make matters even worse, illegal activity was happening in the home that resulted in a drive-by shooting in March that left 13 bullet holes in the home.

Still, she and her partner could not get the tenants to leave. They felt powerless, she said.

“It’s really sad to hear as a homeowner, that there’s really nothing you can do,” the woman said.

“The Landlord and Tenant Board has not reached out. We still have the pending file with all of this. This is a matter that Greater Sudbury Police was able to solve.”

There were approximately 12 other people living in the residence, she said, and police were able to get the squatters to leave earlier this week.

By that time, the home was devastated.

“We have to gut the whole house and start from ground zero,” she said.

“So as a first-time homebuyer, this is probably the worst home I will purchase in my life, I hope. But it’s not something that I would suggest to anyone, to rent out a home.”

Ward 7 Coun. Natalie Labbee put out a public safety update on social media regarding the situation because she said many residents reached out seeking updates.

“We want people to know that that is now a positive thing,” Labbee said.

“Unfortunately, these tenants are going to move into another neighbourhood and perhaps wreak havoc. But for the people on Catherine Drive, they’re going to have some peace of mind that they can have their safe neighbourhood back again.”

The homeowner said the cleanup and renovation of their badly damaged home will be costly. While they won’t be starting a GoFundMe, they would appreciate any support residents or businesses can provide.