Over 100 Markham seniors to face eviction after property sale
Posted July 16, 2015 9:27 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Over 100 elderly tenants of Heritage Village senior residences in Markham are being evicted from their homes, following a deal struck by their landlord.
Unionville Home Society has agreed to sell the property to Minto Development for an undisclosed amount of money. A condition of the sale is that the existing homes be torn down, and a new residential building constructed. But, in the interim, current tenants could be left homeless.
The 110 residents of Heritage Village have been given 18 months to leave their homes. So far, Unionville Home Society has found new spots for nine of them.
“All of the housing providers in this area, and in Ontario, have waiting lists for affordable seniors housing,” said Unionville Home Society CEO Deborah Cooper. “What we’ll be working (on) with the providers is to make our residents a priority.”
One resident, Sylvia, said she can move in with her daughter, but it will mean losing the relationships she has built at Heritage Village.
“I’ve made so many friends, lifelong friends, and I’m happy here,” she said.
Another resident, Gillian D’Amato, said she refuses to leave unless new arrangements are made for her.
“The windows are going to be locked, the door is going to be barred, okay,” said D’Amato. “You’re going to have to break down that door and take me out of here if I am not relocated.”
Unionville Home Society is leaving it up to York Region to make any changes to the Heritage Village reconstruction timeline. Residents and their families will lobby the Region for the new building to be erected before the existing homes are torn down.
