>Grimsby Firefighters honoured for 25 years of service / Pg. 8 > Village of Hope launches Easter campaign Pg. 6 > Calling all female leaders Pg. 7 > History changing moment Pg. 12 Thursday, March 12, 2015 Vol. 3 Issue 45
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Landlord tries to evict tenants
The tenants of Escarpment Inn and Residences gather in the driveway of the Grimsby building awaiting word from police as to whether or not they would have to move out Monday. They were given only a few day’s notice. Grant - Photo By Katherine Grant NewsNow Olga Rochon is 64 years old, has advanced glaucoma, has had cataract surgery and has been warned by her doctor that the arteries in her neck are in poor condition which could lead to stroke. Her poor health didn’t stop her from holding a fire watch at the complex where she lives throughout the frigid month of February. Every 30 minutes she said, she walked from door to door, placing her
hand on each to check for heat. Because her vision is severely limited, she needed help to read the fire extinguishers. Had she suspected there was a fire she didn’t really have a plan as she has no telephone and there is no pay phone on site. “I was going to scream until someone with a cell phone heard me and called 9-1-1,” she said sitting on the edge of the pull-out bed in her tworoom unit. The alternative, from what she understood,
was the loss of the place she has called home for the past four years – the Escarpment Inn and Residences at 575 Main St., West in Grimsby. At issue seems to be the difference between being a tenant under the Landlord Tenant Act or a lodger under the Innkeepers Act and it is a significant difference for the families faced with being homeless this week. Last week, the owner of the property, Olu Akinbolue, issued notices to the 25 tenants they had to move out by April 1;
a second eviction notice quickly followed noting all had to vacate by noon Monday, March 9. “Everyone has lived here for several months to several years,” said Olga. Only a small portion of the building is used for motel guests, according to the long-term tenants. There is no staff present at any time. There are no services such as for towels; no telephone service, and; the driveway wasn’t plowed all winter. According to tenants, they dug it out by hand.
Of major concern to Grimsby Fire Department was the lack of fire alarms, necessitating the fire watch. “Olu told me if I didn’t do the fire watch, the building would be closed and everyone would have to move out,” said Olga. Under order by the Grimsby Fire Department to install working smoke alarms, the land owner instead opted to empty the building. Olga is paying $800 rent for two rooms. See EVICT, Page 3