The affidavit from the building’s owner, Patrick McDonald, states that TUPC failed to make three separate payments to purchase the former St. That violated the purchase agreement for the property and, combined with the $10,000 the group owes in rent and its failure to provide proof of $5 million in liability insurance, gives the landlord the right to terminate TUPC’s lease, it said in the document filed in the Supreme Court. on Thursday. Those claims will be addressed in court during an appearance scheduled for Sept. 2 as part of an ongoing eviction effort. “We are requesting a title deed,” the owners’ attorney, Gordon Douglas, wrote in an email. “The affidavit speaks for itself.” William Comer, one of TUPC’s directors, said Friday afternoon that he had not yet seen a copy of the affidavit and wanted to review it before commenting. “This is news to us, these allegations are being made,” he said in a statement to CBC News. The affidavit is the first time this month that the owners of the former church have shared their perspective on the landlord-tenant saga that has alarmed many residents in Ottawa’s Lowertown neighbourhood, where the property is located. A July 25 statement from St. Brigid’s Center for the Arts said the response to the potential sale had been “overwhelming” and had turned those involved into “targets”. The group has remained silent since then. TUPC has links to the Freedom Convoy protests that paralyzed downtown Ottawa this winter, though it denies those links.
The group associated with the ‘Freedom Convoy’ vows to stay in the Ottawa church
Members of The United People of Canada say they will remain at St. Brigid’s in Ottawa after a Thursday deadline to remove their belongings.
The deal was to buy property for just under $6 million
Court documents said McDonald, along with three others who own various properties around the church, entered into an agreement to sell them to TUPC on June 13. An agreement of sale dated June 8 — signed electronically by the owners and Komer — shows the site was to be sold for $5.95 million. This came with a series of deposits, starting at $5,000, which were to increase over time. McDonald’s affidavit shows that a second payment of $10,000 was due 14 days later, then a payment of $30,000 in 30 days and a payment for $60,000 at the 45-day mark. When all conditions were waived, which was to occur within 120 days of acceptance of the offer, a fifth deposit of $200,000 was due. Vehicles bearing stickers associated with the Freedom Convoy have been seen in St. Brigid’s, located in Ottawa’s Lowertown neighbourhood. (Falice Chin/CBC) McDonald writes that the initial $5,000 was paid, but as time went on, TUPC twice requested that the payment dates be pushed back until the second, third and fourth payments — totaling $100,000 — were all due Aug. 10. When that date passed and the funds were not deposited, the owners decided to terminate the agreement to purchase the properties, according to court documents.
The termination notices were posted last week
The affidavit describes the agreement to buy the church included allowing TUPC to lease the church building, the exteriors, the basement of the Rectory Art House next door and the parking lot between them, although other tenants were supposed to be able to to use the land as Good. Rent was set at $5,000 per month, plus HST. Tenant complaint notices — posted on the buildings and dated Aug. 17 — said the lease was terminated over $10,000 in unpaid rent and failure to provide proof of $5 million in liability insurance. An attached notice said TUPC is also in violation of Ontario’s Heritage Act. William Komer, centre, is one of the directors of The United People of Canada. He is shown here, flanked by supporters, outside St. Brigid’s on Thursday. (Alexander Behne/CBC) In his affidavit, McDonald said he believes TUPC violated heritage rules and regulations by doing something that immediately caught the eye of community members: painting the front doors of the church “bright red.” He also points to videos posted online by someone who says he is a TUPC supporter showing “construction and remodeling” taking place. A spokesperson for the City of Ottawa told CBC that a permit is not required to paint the doors, according to Heritage staff. The Ontario Heritage Trust did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Komer previously told the CBC that the doors were painted with the owner’s permission. Komer also shared a heavily redacted piece of paper with the words “certificate of insurance” across the top, impossible to verify without broker information, which had been erased. In addition, he showed reporters a copy of a bank statement for $5,650, dated July 15, and what appeared to be an original of another draft, dated August 15, for the same amount. Komer claimed the landlord refused to accept this month’s rent. Court documents say the $5,000 payment was made on July 15 and set for the first month’s stay, but that rent for July-August and August-September has not been paid by TUPC.
Other tenants share their concerns
Other allegations outlined in court documents include that the bailiff who tried to change the locks on the church was prevented from doing so. While the locks on the Rectory Art House have been changed, McDonald writes that when he visited the property last Sunday, he found the doors to the garage, which gives access to the basement of the building, were “open”. The owner stated that he saw people he believed to be related to TUPC setting up tables and chairs near the now-open garage and that a “big barbecue that I own,” which had been locked inside, was now outside. Ottawa Morning10:33 What we know so far about the attempted eviction at St. Brigid “There is no longer a lease. Now they’re basically squatting,” says the bailiff for TUPC. Reporter Dan Taekema brings us more on this story Among the documents are separate affidavits from other tenants with access to the property who allegedly had access to the parking space. A couple of lawyers whose office is next to the church said they were unable to enter the plot. Sebantu Ruhanamirindi claimed those blocking the road were with the “People of Canada” and were not letting people park to “pressure” the owner. Customers “felt intimidated,” Rouhanamiridi added. Andrea Mueller, who rents an artist’s studio in the former rectory, wrote in her affidavit that she arrived at work on Aug. 19 to find the wooden garage doors had been opened and the metal bars that the bailiff had installed were on the ground. . The garage is connected to the Rectory Art House, he said. “I am concerned about the safety and security of the businesses and people who work in the building.”
