Rebecca highrise tenants receiving more compensation

Residents in 17-storey building forced out by flooding from burst pipe

Residents of a flood-damaged downtown highrise will receive more money — and have more time — to vacate units than the landlord originally offered.

The change comes after Hamilton community legal clinic lawyers met with tenants and Medallion Corporation.

“The reason that all of this is possible is because these tenants knew what their rights were and refused to accept anything less,” said Bren- dan Jowett, a staff lawyer at the clinic.

On Jan. 10, a stand pipe burst at 235 Rebecca St., forcing many tenants of the 17-storey building to spend the night at the Bennetto Community Centre.

On Jan. 17, tenants of damaged units received notices, asking them to leave by Jan. 20 and offering only January’s rent and deposits.

Medallion is now offering three months of rent and deposits to residents of 61 units on the bottom six floors.

“They’re doing legally what they were supposed to do to begin with,” said Richard McCann, whose thirdfloor apartment was badly damaged.

The tentative timeline is to vacate units within two weeks. The landlord has agreed to help tenants find other places to live and help with moving expenses.

Those who want to return to units after they’re repaired will also receive three months’ compensation, but the landlord will hold onto deposits.

Ex-tenants who left under the previous agreement are entitled to the latest arrangement.

About 80 residents met with legal clinic lawyers for an information session last Tuesday. The lawyers then met with the landlord.

Medallion spokesperson Danny Roth rejected that the landlord made the new offer only because tenants pushed back.

“I’m not sure I’d accept the premise that we were pushed. These types of situations in these crisis conditions are fluid,” he said.

“I think that we acted appropriately, and I think based on the advice that we were given, we put together an offer that we thought was appropriate and still do.”

Asked if three days’ notice and one month’s rent was appropriate, Roth said it was urgent for tenants to leave to repair the damage.

“Certainly, it’s f ar worse for the tenants than it is for us, but it’s been challenging and none of anybody’s making.”

McCann, 47, said many tenants in the building are new immigrants with language barriers, older and living on social assistance.

“I didn’t want to see anybody’s rights trampled on.”

Another information session is planned for Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Beasley Community Centre.