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Cornwall care facility cleared out after fire code standoff, but residents still in limbo

Rheal Rochon, one of the displaced residents of The Care Centre, is currently staying in the guest bedroom of a Cornwall priest. (Guy Quenneville/CBC - image credit)
Rheal Rochon, one of the displaced residents of The Care Centre, is currently staying in the guest bedroom of a Cornwall priest. (Guy Quenneville/CBC - image credit)

Rheal Rochon isn't sure where to call home at the moment.

For seven years, the 76-year-old former school teacher lived at the Cornwall, Ont., building known as The Care Centre, where he paid about $1,700 a month for a room and three meals a day — more affordable, he said, than other options in the city.

Last week, however, the Cornwall Fire Service ordered the building closed due to safety concerns, including a fire alarm system they said wasn't working properly.

Rochon and many other residents were bused along bumpy country roads to a retirement home in nearby Alexandria, Ont., where he was provided a room with an army cot, he said.

"There was no way I could sleep on that," Rochon said. "One lady saw that and started crying."

Now Rochon is staying in a Cornwall priest's guest bedroom.

"I'm sort of lost in space," he said from the living room. "If I could stay at The Care Centre, I would, but I've got a feeling there's gonna be more and more problems."

Submitted by Rheal Rochon
Submitted by Rheal Rochon

'I don't do change well'

While Rochon left of his own accord, a smaller group of residents, alongside owner Daniel Orr, refused to leave last week, believing the building was still safe.

That prompted the fire department to seek the local Superior Court's backing for a forcible eviction, which was granted on Friday afternoon.

One of those holdouts, Albert Gallagher, is now staying in a city-provided motel alongside his wife, dog and kitten.

"Welcome to our humble abode," he said sadly at his doorway on Saturday. "Tiny hotel room with two beds, whereas we had three times this space [at The Care Centre]. And our freedom."

Like Rochon, Gallagher prized The Care Centre's affordability. Before moving in 18 months ago, he'd lived at a building in Gatineau, Que., until the new owners there started introducing "crazy" rent increases.

His rent at The Care Centre was discounted, he said, and the people there formed an "eclectic" family.

"It was devastating," he said of having to leave. "I don't do change well."

Submitted by Albert Gallagher
Submitted by Albert Gallagher

'This has only ever been about safety'

In a Friday news release, the city said it realizes how difficult the situation is for some residents.

The remaining holdouts all left without incident, according to fire Chief Matthew Stephenson. He told CBC Saturday it remains unclear how long residents will remain in limbo, but they can return to The Care Centre if Orr makes the necessary fixes to the building.

He has six months to do so.

Orr has maintained there were no major problems with the building.

When asked about the army cots, Stephenson said the city worked to get residents safe housing "within a short period of time" and that while some rooms were initially unfurnished, beds were provided a few days later.

Residents are also being linked with provincial housing funding, he added.

Guy Quenneville/CBC
Guy Quenneville/CBC

Both Rochon and Gallagher speculated the city was seeking an excuse to kick The Care Centre out of the building — an allegation Stephenson flatly denied.

"This has only ever been about the safety of the occupants of the building, and the Superior Court upheld that," he said.

According to court documents submitted by the fire department, "ongoing concerns with operation and maintenance of the building" date back to when Orr's company purchased it in 2014.

Prior to last week's closure, the building's occupants included "families with younger children, younger adults, couples, and elderly persons."

After the closure, exit doors were unlocked to ensure "sufficient emergency egresses," the documents said, but some of the remaining occupants were sleeping in different rooms every night, "making it very difficult for Cornwall Fire Service to determine which emergency exit doors must be left unlocked."

The documents also said Orr had been taking steps to remove locks installed by the fire department and had told one former resident that they could return even before any fixes were made.

Guy Quenneville/CBC
Guy Quenneville/CBC

Orr said on Saturday both those allegations were false and that he plans to hire his own lawyer.

He added he had already begun work on fixes before things went to court.