Midfield lawyer unsuccessful in certification of class action lawsuit against City of Calgary

A lawyer fighting for those evicted from Midfield Mobile Home Park said Friday he expects those councillors who expressed support for the residents during the election campaign to step up now and walk the talk.

Matthew Farrell, barrister and solicitor at Guardian Law Group, talked to Danielle Smith on News Talk 770 after a failed attempt in court this week to get certification for a class-action lawsuit against the City of Calgary.

“This isn’t about politics for the people of Midfield, this is about their homes”, Farrell said. “We have a new council now and a lot of them said this is an important issue and that they’re going to try to do right by these people. Now it’s time for them to step up.”

WATCH BELOW: Calgary election 2017: Mayoral candidates answer your question on Midfield trailer park

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Because the City of Calgary was able to successfully argue against the certification, Farrell is going to have to try to find all of the former residents of Midfield to see if they want to participate in the suit against the city.

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With a class-action lawsuit, they would all be included automatically. Farrell is still going to try for certification down the road.

“We’re probably going to end up having to make the class-action argument later, if we win, to try to round up anybody that we haven’t been able to reach.”

Farrell will argue in court on Nov. 22 that the residents of the northeast mobile home were wrongly evicted from their homes. He said even those residents who accepted the city’s deal should be getting more than the $10,000 they received for their properties.

LISTEN: Matthew Farrell explains why his certification application was unsuccessful

Farrell is also appealing to Calgarians who feel the handling of Midfield residents has been bungled, to call their city councillor.

“All those people that cared about this issue during the election – I’m sure they still care. So, I really hope they will call their councillors because that actually does make a difference.”

Call them, write them, tell them that what’s happening to these people is wrong.”

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The city sent out eviction notices a year ago, telling residents the property would be permanently closed due to the state of underground utilities.