Rally to fight eviction of 200 seniors planned in Mississauga

Residents are planning to fight the mass eviction of approximately 200 seniors from a residence in Mississauga.

Chartwell Heritage Glen Retirement Residence at 6515 Glen Erin Dr. in Meadowvale served about 188 eviction notices to the residents in March. The notice states the residents must leave by the end of July.

Chartwell has entered into a purchase and sale agreement with real estate company Minto which plans to renovate the existing buildings and redevelop them as traditional residential rental units for all age groups.

The N13 eviction notices took residents by surprise and while Chartwell has offered to help in the transition, many can’t find new places at the same or similar price.

ACORN, a national community and tenant union of low- and moderate-income people, is taking up the fight and has organized a rally.

The rally is slated for this Saturday (April 6) at 1 p.m. at 6515 Glen Erin Dr.

SOS (Save Our Seniors) Facebook group asked people to bring signs.

“The community needs to know what is happening in their neighbourhood,” Save Our Seniors notes.

They also ask that people be respectful of the seniors and not bring noise machines or bells that might disturb the residents.

Chartwell, Canada’s biggest owner and operator of seniors’ homes, is doing the bare minimum to support the residents, many of whom are in their 90s and have unique needs, ACORN notes.

Some have lived in the retirement home for 20-plus years.

“Displacement means losing community, the support that has kept them alive and a place they called home for so many years,” ACORN said. “On top of this, exorbitant costs at retirement homes is making it impossible for residents to find an alternative as the cost will double or triple.”

At the April 3 City of Mississauga council meeting, Ward 9 Councillor Martin Reid put forward a motion to ask the provincial government to extend the notice of eviction from 120 days to 180 days.

He also asked the acting mayor to send a letter to Chartwell to increase support for the residents. He asked that rent offered increase from three months to six months and/or a Chartwell unit be offered to residents at a similar price.

He noted that this is a private sale and council cannot stop it but they can help the residents.

ACORN said the resolution wasn’t enough and is calling on all levels of government to take action.

They ask the federal government to regulate landlords and pension funds such as the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) that invests in Chartwell. And fund and maintain non-profit retirement and long-term care homes.

They ask the provincial government to stop renovictions at retirement homes.

They also ask the provincial government to change the zoning for apartment buildings and retirement homes/ long-term care homes. Currently, all come under the same zoning, which makes it easy to convert retirement homes into apartment buildings.

They ask the City of Mississauga to reverse a minor variance for the conversion of the retirement home to a rental apartment building. City staff has said the minor variance does not impact the building owner’s ability to convert the home into apartments.

They also ask that the city adopt a process to ensure that if a retirement home is being sold in the region, the Region of Peel has the right of first refusal to acquire the home.