Tenant board opposes evictions at Kitchener apartment building

The Landlord and Tenant Board says residents of a Kitchener building – who were evicted – can stay in their homes. CTV’s Jeff Pickel has more.

Residents of 250 Frederick Street in Kitchener have been granted a reprieve.

The Landlord and Tenant Board has decided they can stay in their homes.

Some of the residents at the 16-storey tower were issued N-13 eviction notices last year amid growing tensions with the building’s new owner. They were told they had to leave because their unit needed renovation. The notices also coincided with an ongoing parking dispute, in which residents were told they could only access the parking garage if they paid $250 a month, as well as complaints about building maintenance.

Some tenants told CTV News they had been living at 250 Frederick Street for more than two decades.

After a lengthy battle with the property owner, eviction notices for 33 units were dismissed.

“The tribunal came to the conclusion that the landlords failed in every single part of the test,” said Veronica Munoz with Waterloo Community Legal Services, who has been helping the residents of 250 Frederick Street.

One tenant, Dorinda Kruger-Allen, praised the work by Waterloo Community Legal Services.

“They are good about explaining to us clearly what we need to do and what our rights were, and trying to navigate this whole process,” she said.

Kruger-Allen can now stay in her apartment.

“This is our family home, and I know some people may not understand that about a rental unit, but it has been for us,” she said. “I’ve been here for 11 years, and we’ve put down roots.”

Kruger-Allen feels like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders.

“We’re incredibly relieved. It’s been a very long and very stressful process,” she said.

For those who fought alongside the tenants, the decision demonstrates the importance of speaking out.

“Many cases of tenants, they just give up because they don’t think that they can challenge, they don’t think that they can go up against a corporate landlord,” Munoz explained. “This case shows completely the opposite.”

The decision

According to the Landlord and Tenant Board’s decision, the owner of 250 Frederick Street did not have the correct permits.

“The landlord has also not established that it genuinely intends to carry out the work set out in the N-13s,” the decision read.

It also called the landlord’s intention “weak,” and noted that there was no testimony from an employee, officer or director of the landlord.

The N-13’s stated the work was to take seven to 10 months, but the work in each unit was not expected to take that long.

“I am not satisfied that it genuinely intends to do any work that requires a building permit,” the decision continued. “Even if it does, I am not satisfied that it will require vacant possession of the tenants’ units in order to carry out the work.”

The owner has appealed the board’s decision.

In the meantime, residents can stay at 250 Frederick Street.

The city approved a new bylaw in June 2024 to protect tenants during redevelopment projects. Under the new rules, landlords demolishing or converting six or more rental units would be required to provide tenants with alternative housing or compensation.

It would not, however, protect the residents at 250 Frederick Street. The city said it did not have authority in that matter.

CTV News has reached out to the lawyer representing the landlord.