A local non-profit organization that has helped Ottawa residents lower their energy bills has been kicked out of Ottawa City Hall.
In exchange for the free office space Envirocentre delivered services and advice to residents, particularly those in low-income households.
It has helped homeowners reduce greenhouse emissions through low-cost power-saving initiatives since 1999. That includes helping to retrofit houses to make them more efficient and environmentally friendly.
But just before Christmas, Envirocentre received an eviction notice from the city to make room for a new, still unknown tenant.
"All they've said is that they want us out," said Dana Silk, the centre's general manager.
Silk said the centre was given three months to leave the glassed-in office, which is directly across from the city council chambers, and move into another property it owns on Rideau Street.
First the centre has to renovate the new location, he said. Silk also believes all city funding to the group will be cut and he will be fired.
The timing could not be worse, Silk added, as thousands of clients line up for audits before the end of the federal eco-energy program.
"You know all those people who we've been helping, either through walk-in traffic, e-mails, phone calls," said Silk, who is worried the city has no plan to replace Envirocentre's services.
"We get lots of phone calls through the city's call centre, we have no idea how the city's going to handle that."
Mayor Jim Watson would not say what would replace Envirocentre in the city hall space. He would only rule out Ottawa Tourism as a new tenant.
"Well there's an exciting proposal that we're looking at and I hope to have some news on that next week," Watson said.
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