Tenants of a Saskatoon high-rise say rent increase is unfair
Tenants of a Saskatoon high-rise say rent increase is unfair
Residents at a downtown Saskatoon apartment complex are speaking out about what they say are unreasonable rent increases and a lack of attention to building repairs.
A sliding door that hasn’t closed properly for seven years is just one of the problems Edgar Calderon has with his Barrington Place studio apartment.
“For seven years they come to see it and say it cost too much money to fix it. Yes, they told me that because they had to fix the frame and open it up or whatever,” Calderon told CTV News.
He’s lived in the building for 13 years and says the upkeep of the building has gotten increasingly worse over the years.
Now to add to it, the 67-year-old was just told his rent would go up by $375 a month starting in August, which is almost a 50 per cent increase from his existing $775 rent.
“I am retired, plus power went up, food went up,” he says.
Moving is expensive too, he said, but the bottom line is he can’t afford the increase and will be forced to leave.
“I would like to see the company be more fair with the increase, and fix the building,” he said.
The concerns are similar for fellow tenant Peter Davey.
He says water damage caused by a June fire in a top-floor suite still sits unfinished on his floor. Some damage to his suite was just recently finished but two days after those repairs, he got a notice about a steep rent increase.
“I will move. It’s not a big issue for me. I’m disappointed with the company,” Davey told CTV News.
He is advocating for others in the building who have come to him and said they can’t move because some are seniors, and some are parents with small children, making it challenging.
Davey would prefer not to move from his home of five years, where he lives with his 19-year-old son. He said he has made friends in the building, which is part of the reason he wants to advocate for others also.
Colliers took over management of the building in October and said in an email that they’re looking into the issue and declined to comment further.
For Calderon and Davey the issues speak for themselves. With only one working elevator for 145 units, trash in hallways and a front door latch that doesn’t work causing security issues, they feel the owner needs to take responsibility.
The group Renters of Saskatoon and Area (ROSA) told CTV News there’s no reasonable excuse for such an extreme rent increase. They advise residents to contact the office of residential tenancies as soon as possible to report issues.
While the two tenants are doubtful much will change, they would prefer to not have to go through moving from their homes especially given the shortage of housing.
Ottawa Police are investigating an attempted break-in at the residence of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's national security adviser, the second such incident involving one of his top aides in recent months.
When two skiers collided on a beginner run at an upscale Utah ski resort in 2016, no one could foresee that seven years later, the crash would become the subject of a closely watched celebrity trial.
A Toronto man, whose neighbours vanished eight years ago and left their home completely abandoned, said he's fed up living next door to a property that is in complete disarray.
A candidate for the United Conservative Party in southern Alberta has resigned after she posted a video claiming children are being exposed to pornography in schools.
A scientist at CAMH says video games have similar addictive features to gambling which cause social isolation of the individual and dependency on the activity.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered a brief initial response to the final report from the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) into Canada's worst mass shooting, which claimed the lives of 22 people in Nova Scotia in 2020. Vowing changes will come, here's what Trudeau said in Truro, N.S.
The federal Liberals are trending downward on three key measures while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has surpassed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when it comes to the question of who Canadians would prefer now as their prime minister, according to Nanos Research.
A Mass Casualty Commission report that came out on Thursday following a mass shooting in Nova Scotia in 2020 may have a local impact on the RCMP Depot model being phased out.
Riley Jolly detailed several injuries he observed on his son, Emerson Whitby, prior to the 18-month-old’s death, during testimony at Court of King’s Bench in Regina on Thursday.
Two Manitoba hunting outfitters have been fined thousands of dollars and lost their licenses after a four-year investigation revealed numerous violations of the wildlife act.
A candidate for the United Conservative Party in southern Alberta has resigned after she posted a video claiming children are being exposed to pornography in schools.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has yet to answer direct questions about a growing scandal of her alleged interference with the justice system, but her deputy premier has responded the media about the issue.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has yet to answer direct questions about a growing scandal of her alleged interference with the justice system, but her deputy premier has responded the media about the issue.
The Alberta government has revealed plans for some of the $211 million it will spend over the next three years expanding and improving parks, campgrounds and recreation trails.
A Toronto man, whose neighbours vanished eight years ago and left their home completely abandoned, said he's fed up living next door to a property that is in complete disarray.
Premier Doug Ford is slamming federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault as a “real piece of work” in the wake of public remarks he made suggesting that Ontario has “no plan to fight climate change.”
Ottawa Police are investigating an attempted break-in at the residence of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's national security adviser, the second such incident involving one of his top aides in recent months.
Indicators of the spread of COVID-19 in B.C. continued their upward trend this week, with the number of people hospitalized with the disease hitting its highest level since Jan. 12.
Just a week after Airbnb tightened regulations for Quebec listings following a deadly fire, hosts may already be bending the rules. Airbnb now requires its hosts to provide a six-digit policy number with their listing, obtained when a tourist lodging is registered with the provincial government. But a scroll through the Airbnb website suggests users are falsifying their permit numbers to sneak past the authentication process.
A lawyer for the United States government told Quebec's highest court today that the country should be immune from prosecution for the infamous brainwashing experiments at McGill University from the 1940s to the 1960s.
It's been two weeks since a major fire ripped through a heritage building in the heart of Old Montreal, killing seven people and forever altering the lives of families across the globe. For the families of those who died, the grieving process is only starting.
A 32-year-old man from Campbell River, B.C., has been sentenced to four years in prison for the beating death of a 59-year-old homeless man in October 2020.
The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) says designated landing zones should be available for aircraft in harbours following a crash between a floatplane and a water taxi in Tofino in 2021.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered a brief initial response to the final report from the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) into Canada's worst mass shooting, which claimed the lives of 22 people in Nova Scotia in 2020. Vowing changes will come, here's what Trudeau said in Truro, N.S.
Gun policy comments made by then-RCMP commissioner Brenda Lucki in a contentious call to Nova Scotia RCMP officers after the mass shooting in 2020 did not amount to political interference, the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) final report concludes.
There are exciting plans for Knox Presbyterian Church in downtown Sudbury. Built in 1927, the former church was sold after its congregation dwindled and will be transformed into a concert hall.
When the store manager at La Noisette Bakery arrived Thursday morning to open the small shop on Oxford Street, she discovered that one of the two large circular windows at the side of their building was shattered.
