On November 10, tenants and community supporters gathered in Rockcliffe Park to serve demands to their landlord, the CEO of Smart Living Properties (SLP).
The rally is the latest in a series of ongoing resistance efforts from tenants from two buildings on Bank St. in Ottawa, who were served N13 eviction notices in October 2023 to make way for a new development.
The proposed nine-storey development aims to revitalise the area, while retaining the buildings’ heritage, by constructing additional residential units with retail space on the bottom, according to plans from property owner 211-231 Bank Street Holdings and its development manager, SLP.
“People have been renting in these two buildings, some of us for 40 years,” said Julie Ivanoff, who lives on the corner of Bank and Lisgar streets, in an interview with rabble.ca. “And now they have to be displaced. This is their home. This is their community. And where are they going to go when the cost of rent is so obscene?”
According to “The National Rent Report” from rentals.ca, the average rent for a one bedroom apartment in Ottawa was $2,040 in November.
Ivanoff said she supports densification in Centretown, but she wants to see housing that will benefit her community – and she believes SLP’s plan won’t do that.
The planned development includes 263 residential units, which are a mix of studio, one, two and three bedroom apartments. Many of the planned bachelor apartments are less than 300 sq. ft. in size, according to documents submitted to the City of Ottawa. The city council has yet to approve the project.
“This is not a place for somebody to live, nor is it nurturing a diverse community,” Ivanoff said. “This is for a very specific group of people. It’s transient. They’re not families. They’re not couples.”
Megan Smallwood, a member of the Neighborhood Organizing Centre, a group of neighbourhood organizers focused on tenant rights in Ottawa, has been working with the tenants living on Bank St. since May.
“The main goal of the Bank Block tenants is they all want to stay in their homes,” Smallwood said in an interview with rabble.ca. “So, our main goal right now is really just to put enough pressure on Smart Living Property directly so they back off and decide this isn’t worth their time.”
In an email statement to rabble.ca, SLP said they have no plans to withdraw the eviction notices, citing the benefit of more housing in the area. They also said that current tenants will have the option to apply for residence in the new units, once they are available, though the rates for those units have not been confirmed.
Ivanoff said she and her neighbours have been attempting to meet with SLP for months to discuss alternatives to eviction, but have been met with silence. In September, tenants and supporters rallied at SLP’s office in Centretown.
“They’ve closed their doors to their office,” Ivanoff said. “We’ve gone there. We’ve handed them letters. We’ve asked them to email us. They’ve denied us that. They’ve actually ignored our emails.”
In their statement, SLP said they have a team available to meet with tenants, and that they have met with tenants who have requested it.
Ivanoff’s eviction notice was for March 31, 2024. But she’s still living on Bank St.
A hearing with Ottawa’s Landlord and Tenant Board is scheduled for March, which will decide if her eviction stands.
When asked about her hopes for the hearing, Ivanoff said, “I’m hoping that we won’t be evicted. I don’t understand why we have to lose our homes in sacrifice for the housing crisis.”
Support rabble today!
We’re so glad you stopped by! Thanks for consuming rabble content this year.
rabble.ca is 100% reader and donor funded, so as an avid reader of our content, we hope you will consider gifting rabble with a donation during our summer fundraiser today.
Whether it be a one-time donation or a small monthly contribution, your support is critical to keep rabble writers producing the work you’ve come to rely on as a part of a healthy media diet.
Become a rabble rouser — donate to rabble.ca today.
Nick Seebruch, editor
