N.L.'s social justice co-op calls on provincial government to end no-fault evictions
Following the City of St. John's eviction of an 82-year-old woman last week, the Social Justice Co-operative of Newfoundland and Labrador is calling on the provincial government to change legislation to end no-fault evictions in government or social housing.
Shirley Cox was removed from her apartment in Riverhead Towers, owned and operated by the City of St. John's, on Hamilton Avenue last Tuesday after receiving an eviction notice last October.
Cox maintains she was never given a reason why but said she suspects she was evicted for smoking in front of the building's main floor entrance. She said she couldn't navigate her wheelchair to and from the property's designated smoking area.
The city told CBC News it doesn't discuss private tenancy matters.
Debbie Wiseman, an activist with the Social Justice Co-Op, told CBC News she was surprised by the no-fault eviction.
"It just was not something I thought would happen," Wiseman said Monday.
"When we saw it happen and the city kind of hid behind the fact that it's legal — in our opinion it's not ethical but it's legal — we thought we should do something about that."
According to Wiseman, an access-to-information request she filed with the city found there have been no other no-fault evictions in at least four years.
"Even if it's just one person, it's really disturbing that somebody was removed from that situation and basically rendered homeless," Wiseman said.
"In our eyes it's a way to kind of discriminate against someone legally. When you look at social housing, affordable housing, it's designed for people with lower income to be able to afford to rent a home."
Cox was moved to an emergency shelter.
Wiseman said only the Yukon and Newfoundland and Labrador allow no-cause evictions.
If the city had offered an explanation for Cox's eviction notice, she said, the problem could have been fixed.
"She was just left with no choice but to be evicted and made homeless," Wiseman said, adding the SJCNL hasn't heard back from the provincial government yet.
CBC News also requested comment from the provincial government.
