‘I need an apology’
Man claims former landlady discriminated against him while he was renting a room in her Stratford home
A P.E.I. man who is originally from India says he was discriminated against by his former landlady and has filed a complaint with the province’s human rights commission. The landlady calls his claims “outright lies.”
Amon Masih, a permanent resident who moved to Ontario from India two years ago before coming to P.E.I. last August, said he filed a complaint on Tuesday stating Norma Coady discriminated against him while he was renting a room in her Stratford home.
Masih said Coady accused him and a roommate, who is not a permanent resident of Canada, of stealing a number of items like keys, eyeglasses, toilet paper and paper towel, coffee discs, vacuum cleaner bags, ornaments and dishes.
She served them an eviction notice on Dec. 7 stating theft was the reason for terminating their rental agreement.
Masih said another man living in the house, who is white, was not accused of stealing and not given an eviction notice.
“I need an apology for the disrespectful behaviour she had shown for the time we had been over there,” said Masih, who also wanted the landlady to be ordered to attend education sessions.
“She should undergo educational sessions. And she should assure she won’t discriminate in this manner in the future.”
Masih said when he was first served a notice of eviction he asked why the white resident didn’t receive notice.
“She said he had been working the whole time, then at the (IRAC) hearing she said he was in St. John’s, he wasn’t in town at that time,” he said.
“If he was in St. John’s why don’t you get the matter investigated? If you’re losing your expensive ornaments, get it investigated and the culprit should be penalized.”
Coady said she did call police to report the theft, while Masih also filed a complaint with RCMP stating he was being harassed by the accusations.
RCMP suggested Masih file his complaint with IRAC and advised Coady she could not accuse someone of theft without proof.
Masih did take the issue to IRAC.
The commission found Coady breached two sections of the act. Those included the entry of premises section, since Coady entered Masih’s room without giving notice, as well as quiet enjoyment. “Based on the evidence of the lessee, the lessor verbally harassed the lessee” until he moved out, the ruling states.
Masih said while he was happy IRAC ruled in his favour, the commission could not take any firm action.
“They cannot make Norma apologize for her behaviour, they told me to pursue human rights if I want her to.”
Coady also responded in a letter she provided to The Guardian, repeating claims that a tenant, whom she would not name, was stealing from her.
She admitted she and her son had entered the tenant’s room without notice but says it was because she heard footsteps in her attic and wanted to put locks on the attic door in his room.
“The things I had stolen did not disappear or vanish into mid-air,” she wrote.
“I had my son put locks on the attic doors of that person’s room. Many things were all disturbed, missing and thrown about in the attic. Pillows, bedding, everything was messed up and thrown about. I didn’t think I was supposed to allow my things to be stolen from the attic storage area as they had been stolen from two of my rooms downstairs. One (being) my own bedroom.”
Coady also rejects claims she discriminated against Masih.
“I have been accused of racial prejudice by this person I took out driving when he was training to get his licence and accused of outright lies he has told about me.”