KAREN CHINNICK
GROUNDSKEEPING LAWN PROGRAMS LANDSCAPING IRRIGATION
Al’s
LAWN & GARDEN
www.alslawnandgarden.ca
352-4955
Sales Representative
Office: 519-436-6161 Cell: 519-350-6619 karenchinnick@hotmail.com
YOUR Independent Community Newspaper THURSDAY, MAY 11, 2023
Vol. 10 Edition 19
Backlog puts tenants THINKING ABOUT in tough NEW WINDOWS OR DOORS? predicament
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www.excelrealty.ca 149 St. Clair St., Chatham
Winning ‘Works of Heart’
elitewindowschatham.ca
By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative pamwrightlji@gmail.com
THINK FREE ESTIMATES 460 St. Clair St. Chatham
519-351-5100
It appears Ontario’s Landlord Tenant Board (LTB) is broken. According to a lengthy report released by provincial ombudsman Paul Dube May 4, a huge backlog of cases has clogged the system, leading to long delays and putting tenants in precarious – sometimes life-threatening – positions. The report also found that small landlords face financial ruin if they don’t get paid rent or can’t get rid of a problematic tenant, In the report, which included 61 recom-
mendations, Dube said the present system is “fundamentally failing” to bring justice in a timely manner. Currently there are 38,000 cases in the queue, which for a tenant can mean a two-year wait. Landlords appear to get their matters heard sooner, in five to eight months, but the report said landlord complaints comprise 90 per cent of the issues brought before the tribunal. The report is old news to Chatham-Kent Legal Clinic housing stability worker Jeff Wilkins. Continued on page 5
SAVE THE
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Pam Wright/The Chatham Voice
Aspiring cartoonist Emma Fogarty, 17, shows off some of her colourful work at the Panther’s Palette event at John McGregor Secondary School May 4. The awards night featured an art show and music. Fogarty is the winner of the Thames Art Gallery Graduation Art Scholarship of $1,000. In September, she plans on entering the 2D/3D animation program at St. Clair College in Windsor.
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