Tenants in New Westminster Stand up to Slum Landlords
- Article Information
- Category: Affordable Liveable Housing
- Created on Monday, 14 May 2012 20:20
ACORN Canada members in BC were at it again, going after problem landlords and holding them accountable as part of our larger Healthy Homes Campaign. This time in New Westminster, ACORN members had city inspectors out to inspect their building and at the same time held an action to demand their landlord, the Sahota family, clean up their act.
You may remember from previous BC updates that this isn’t the first time a building owned by the Sahota family has been in the news. Less than two months ago, a member in Surrey won a precedent setting fina against the family for failing to maintain a building in Surrey. Moving forward ACORN will be laying out reforms to the Residential Tenancy Act, and reforms to how the act is enforced, as well as turning up the heat on the Sahota family and other slum landlords who think having families live in hellacious conditions is acceptable. Stay tuned for this as our members have no plans of stopping until everyone has a healthy home!
CTV: New claims of neglect made against infamous landlords
- Article Information
- Category: Affordable Liveable Housing
- Created on Monday, 30 April 2012 16:16
A notorious B.C. family of landlords is facing new allegations of neglect from tenants in New Westminster who say they went without running water for two weeks.
Residents of the building at 1210 Cameron Street say they've also dealt with mouldy floors, leaky ceilings and rodents, but owners Pal and Gurdyal Sahota aren't doing enough to fix it.
"There's mice in just about every unit. They're in the walls; you can hear them. In the basement, there's rats, there's various bugs, silverfish, cockroaches, bedbugs," renter John Dykema told reporters at a tenant rally Thursday.
The Province: Sahota landlords fix up New Westminster apartments prior to media tour
- Article Information
- Category: Affordable Liveable Housing
- Created on Friday, 27 April 2012 14:27
Repairs come hours before media tour of probems
In a surprising move, renters at a New Westminster apartment block owned by the Sahota clan got quick and timely repairs.
The ink was barely dry on a press release announcing a Thursday rally and tour of the run-down Waterfront Developments property on Cameron Street when workers descended and fixed the most obvious of the building’s shortcomings.
“They were working here until midnight patching holes in the walls, dabbing paint around, and returning our water,” said renter John Dykema, who joined other ACORN members with a rousing call and response — “Who are we? ACORN! What do we want? Healthy homes! When do we want them? Now!”
The Record: New Westminster tenants protest living conditions
- Article Information
- Category: Affordable Liveable Housing
- Created on Friday, 27 April 2012 14:08
Tenants of a rental building in New Westminster are rallying against appalling living conditions.
ACORN Canada organized a rally at 1210 Cameron St. on Thursday to highlight tenants' living conditions, which include mold, mice and a foul stench caused by a sewage leak.
"My cat has caught some mice - about three or four," said tenant Mary Cappell. "It's very stressful."
According to ACORN Canada, the apartment's owner was recently fined $115,000 under the Residential Tenancy Act for failing to fix leaks at a Surrey building.
B.C.’s worst landlord leaves New Westminster tenants without running water
- Article Information
- Category: Affordable Liveable Housing
- Created on Thursday, 26 April 2012 22:49
Tenants at 1210 Cameron st. in New Westminster held a rally today to protest poor building maintenance by a notorious slum landlord who was fined only last month for poor maintenance of another building.
For over a week tenants have been without running water, had to deal with rampant mold, mice, and have suffered through a foul sewage leak.
Despite the historic reprimand and $115,000 fine levied by the Residential Tenancy Office a month ago, the Sahota family remains unwilling to bring their properties up to the legal code.
“These guys (the Sahotas) are a joke; the guy they hired to fix the water is a carpenter!” – Tenant Dan Watson
Global TV Video: Landlord Fined
- Article Information
- Category: Affordable Liveable Housing
- Created on Thursday, 22 March 2012 16:44
