No choice but to go
Charlottetown tenant still shaken from being evicted with no written warning
Catherine was home one day when she got a knock at the door. Her landlady was standing there.
“You have to move out.” Catherine’s heart started racing.
“How long do I have?” The woman looked at her. “You have a month. Technically two on paper, but I’d prefer a month. I want to do renovations.”
Catherine was confused. She’d moved into the apartment on King Street in 2011 and lived there for eight years with her son.
“She didn’t even ask me if I wanted to pay more rent,” Catherine said.
“I had no choice in the matter, really. What are you going to do?”
Catherine is not the woman's real name. She agreed to an interview on the condition of anonymity because she still fears she could be suddenly evicted for telling her story.
She found a new apartment downtown and moved within a month, despite the fact the apartment was 25 per cent more expensive. She didn't want to spend any more time looking for something more affordable.
“I didn’t want to stay there anymore. I felt unwelcome," she said.
Catherine has lived at her apartment downtown with her son for three years but still doesn’t feel safe from eviction, she said.
“The same thing could happen here any time,” she said.
“Everyone’s been moved out because of these so-called renovations. It’s the way it’s been going around P.E.I.”
She occasionally looks for other places but feels at this
“The goal really is to help everyone really understand their rights and responsibilities to make the best choices for themselves and the community.”
David McQuillan
point it would be cheaper to get a house and mortgage, Catherine said.
“It would be $2,000 to $3,000 a month, and a house in the country would be worth way more," she said.
“It’s not a secure time for people who don’t have any rent agreements, especially for a single parent looking for a two-bedroom apartment.”
David McQuillan, a tenant support worker with Community Legal Information (CLI), says having documentation is very important when dealing with landlords.
CLI is a registered charity with the aim of helping Islanders better understand how the provincial justice system works.
“If you have a conversation in person with your landlord, take a moment to jot down what was said,” he said.
McQuillan is from Charlottetown and said he got involved in housing advocacy when he moved back to the Island after studying in London.
“Looking for housing out here has been a whirlwind,” he said.
McQuillan attends legal information workshops, where he distributes a handbook dedicated to helping tenants better understand their rights.
He also hosts separate workshops for landlords.
“The goal really is to help everyone really understand their rights and responsibilities to make the best choices for themselves and the community,” he said.
“I think this is really important work.”
The rental handbook is free and can be found at multiple businesses, including Timothy’s Café and the P.E.I. Public Library in Charlottetown. Requests for a free copy can also be sent to tenantsupport@legalinfopei.ca.