Oct.17 marks International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. It’s also the day that at least a dozen tenants are being kicked out of their home in the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough after the building was condemned two weeks ago over unsafe living conditions.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante blames the previous administration for failing to push for stricter legislation against landlords.
“I’m not proud about this,” she said. “I’m not happy about this actually I’m really upset that people are now in the street.”
READ MORE: Dozens of Plateau Mont-Royal tenants face eviction over mould, bug infestation
It was an emotional day for the tenants who are being forced out of their homes.
After handing over their pets to the SPCA, the tenants boarded a bus headed for a hotel on the eastern tip of the island, far away from their now barricaded home.
“We got 14 days notice and all of a sudden we’re being kicked out of the building,” Ryan Stickland said.
“It’s ridiculous.”
The new building owner was on site and blamed the city for evicting the tenants before demanding Global News leave the property.
“What do you want me to tell you? The city is kicking them out,” Mahir Ozdilek said.
Housing-rights leaders are speaking out to slam the city for failing to hold the landlord responsible. Under the law, tenants have three years to sue their landlord for damages.
WATCH: Montreal tenants scramble to find new apartments
“It’s not right or fair that they do this and get away with it,” lawyer Daniel Bitton said. “They could be suing for wrongful eviction — it’s considered harassment when you let a building dilapidate to get people out.”
Plante promises the city will take care of the evicted tenants beyond Nov.1. She insists her party had attempted to get stronger legislation to punish landlords but that Denis Coderre’s administration was opposed.
“I’m not going to hide that I’m hoping to have stronger tools,” Plante said. “There has to be more options for us the city so that doesn’t happen but right now we really feel we did what we could.”
READ MORE: Plateau-Mont-Royal tenants scrambling to find new apartments after building condemned
It’s little consolation to vulnerable residents who were first forced to live in decrepit conditions before being forced out.
“Eleven years I’ve stayed here, the neighbours are family and now today it’s cut, finished,” Pierrette Clément said. “I don’t know where I’ll go, (probably) in the street.”