News Release
Councillor Issues Invitation to Provincial Ministers
(Tuesday, January 23/2001)-- Councillor Linda Mosher has extended invitations to the Minister of Community Services and the Minister Responsible for the Residential Tenancies Board to attend a meeting later this week with the 370 people left homeless as a result of the recent fire at 36 Abbey Road in Armdale.
Letters from the District 17 Councillor to Community Services Minister Peter Christie and to the Honourable Angus MacIsaac, Minister Responsible for the Residential Tenancies Board, were hand delivered to their offices this morning.
Councillor Mosher and the Armdale Tenants Association, which was formed last week by tenants left homeless by the fire, are sponsoring a public meeting this Thursday, 8 p.m., in the Community Room, of the new Sobey's Store, 279 Herring Cove Road, for the latest update on their plight.
Councillor Mosher said the tenants feel they have been abandoned by the landlord, Top of the Mountain Developments, and the provincial departments responsible for social assistance, housing and tenancy board matters.
The Councillor said that she and two representatives of the tenants association met yesterday with the lawyer for the landlord, Victor Goldberg, but the outcome of the meeting was not encouraging.
She said they were told the landlord and its insurer were still discussing the situation and could be at least the end of February before a course of action will be determined.
"In the meantime, the tenants are left in limbo. They need some answers. Most of these people got out of their homes with just the clothes on their backs. Their furniture and other belongings are still in their apartments, and even if they did get them out, where would them put them?
"Everybody is expressing sympathy regarding the situation, but those who can really help-Community Services, Housing, the Tenancies Board and the landlord--- seem to be standing well back, " she said.
Councillor Mosher said the landlord's lawyer, Mr. Goldberg, has agreed to attend Thursday meeting.
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Councillor Linda Mosher
(902) 476-4117
