‘More permanent solutions’: ACORN London rallies against ‘renovictions’
Global News
ACORN London held a rally Tuesday, beginning at Victoria Park and making its way to city hall ahead of a council meeting, to raise more awareness about "reno-victions."
“Fight! Fight! Fight! Housing is a human right!”
The echoing chants from frustrated tenants could be heard throughout Victoria Park on Tuesday in a rally in protesting against “renovictions.”
The rally, organized by London ACORN, a tenants’ advocacy group, falls on the heels of ongoing landlord struggles after multiple residents at Webster Street Apartments say they’ve been pressured to leave their units to allow for the new landlord to renovate the buildings.
“It’s absolutely unconscionable and the landlords in charge of this should be ashamed of what they’re doing,” said Nawton Chiles, co-chair of the Carling-Stoneybrook Acorn chapter.
Twenty tenants at the two apartments at 1270 and 1280 Webster Street received N13 notices near the end of April from the landlords, informing them they would need to vacate their home by the end of August for renovations to take place.
Advocates say the landlords are trying to kick out longtime tenants so they can almost double the price of rent.
Global News has repeatedly attempted to contact the property owners over the last few months, but inquiries have gone unanswered on multiple occasions.