New Westminster renters rally against renovictions as landlord fine bylaw comes into effect

New Westminster, B.C., renters being forced out of their homes by their landlord in an apparent "renoviction" hope action from the city in the form of fines will allow them to stay.

Dozens of tenants like Shelley Outhwaitemarched through the city's streets Sunday to protest the actions ofDineshChand, whoowns several buildings in New Westminster.

Outhwaitesays she has lived in the building at 732 5th Ave. for more than a decade, but learned two days after Christmas that it will be renovated and she must move out by summer.

"I was in shock, really," she said. "It took me three days to come to terms with it, you know. I was with my daughter, and I just didn't want to break down."

So-calledrenovictionsrefer to when a landlord asks tenants to vacate in order for upgrades to be done. Landlords sometimes also raise rates, sometimes to a degree notcommensuratewith the changes or renovations made.

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Outhwaite and others hope that new tough penalties put in place by the city to dissuade landlords from undertaking renovations will help them.

"We always pay our rent on time, we've been good tenants, we've done nothing wrong we should be allowed to stay," she said.

The City of New Westminster approved a bylaw in early February that stops landlords from evicting tenants under the guise of renovations and then increasing the rent.

Landlords who violate the bylaw can be fined up to $1,000 a day and lose their business licences.

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According to a statement from the city, the landlord of the 5th Avenue buildinghas already received two fines from a previous complaint.

As of Sunday, city staff could not confirm if the fines were issued under the new bylaw or for violating maintenance regulations.

But they did say a new investigation was being undertaken based on allegations it received and thatstaff met with the owner of that property on Friday to"lay out in considerable detail the city's expectations in relation to our new business-licensing restrictions."

A statement from Chand's lawyer,Michael Drouillard, says that protests like the one Saturday inflame tensions and unfairly puts"blame for the shortage of affordable rental housing on small landlords like my client."

He says Chandhas chosento extend the life of the building and maintain its affordability under what is economically possible.

The statementsays that ending tenancies was a difficult decision, but that Chand is trying to help tenants by offering subsidized rent and alternative housing, something that many have taken him up on.

The dispute is also currently in arbitration at the Residential Tenancy Branch.

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