Refugee family of 4 caught up in mass eviction on King Edward Avenue
Landlord moves to eviction, alleging tenants didn't prepare for bug spray appointments
Among the dozens of tenants of a south London apartment complex facing eviction is a mother of three who came to Canada as a refugee after losing her parents and husband to the civil war in South Sudan.
Since their arrival in Canada, Ajok Manyang and her three boys have lived at 84 King Edward Ave., a three-storey walkup apartment, one of eight apartment buildings on the property that changed hands early last year.
Over the past few months, residents have been receiving notices for bug spraying appointments, often followed by eviction notices that allege they failed to follow instructions to prepare their suites for the spraying.
The now-familiar pattern at the complex — a bug spray appointment followed by an eviction notice — happened to Manyang last week.
She insists she prepared for the appointment and said she can't afford to have her rent double, which is what would likely happen should she be evicted.
"I don't have money to pay more rent, now it's crazy how it's gone up," she said. "I need to live in here."
Manyang was issued an N5 form, a legal notice that states a landlord's intention to start an eviction.
Representatives of the tenants group ACORN have been working with King Edward Avenue residents, arguing the notices are being issued in bad faith as a way to oust long-term tenants who pay rents that are below market value.
Representatives from complex owner Eagle Apartments Inc., and the property manager Universal have not responded to multiple requests for comment from CBC News.
Her apartment at 84 King Edward Ave. is the only home Manyang and her boys have known since arriving in Canada as refugees five years ago.
She works nights at a factory in downtown London to support her sons.
Residents have been confounded by the eviction process, but it's particularly confusing for Manyang, whose first language is Dinka.
"They said I didn't prepare my rooms [for spraying] but I prepared everything," she said. "But they're still trying to evict me."
Ontario Housing Minister Steve Clark said he will have the province's Rental Housing Enforcement Unit (RHEU) look into whether dozens of eviction notices issued against tenants on King Edward Avenue were done legally.
CBC News can confirmed that some residents facing eviction have been interviewed by RHEU.
A town hall is planned for April 13 to provide residents with information about their rights in the process.