By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
An out-of-town landlord’s attempt to renovict tenants due to dangerous asbestos concerns has fallen short at Terrace Forty.
With Gord Harvey’s help, residents have learned from Ontario’s Ministry of Labour there isn’t much asbestos contained in the Chatham apartment building – a fact that flies in the face of information distributed by landlord Rex Brondial earlier this year.
The latest wrinkle in the four-month renoviction saga began April 9 when workers arrived to work on four vacant apartments. On April 10, Harvey said they started cutting into walls, prompting fear-stricken residents to call the Ministry of Labour.
Folks were worried the disturbance would create exposure to asbestos, for both themselves and the workers, which led Harvey to make the call.
However, subsequent visits by three different MOL inspectors helped allay their fears. Harvey said one of them told him there wasn’t “a lot” of asbestos within the structure. Harvey said he also gained access to an assessment report undertaken by a Pickering company. The company took samples at the building in Dec. 2025 and again in March 2026.
The 34-page designated-substance survey found the highest concentration of asbestos to be in the boiler room and laundry room. A total of 65 asbestos samples were taken, as well as nine samples for lead.
According to Harvey, the report provides transparency.
“In the units where the samples were taken, asbestos was only found primarily in bathroom tiles and some kitchen floors,” Harvey explained, adding trained workers can remove it safely.
Harvey said he was told there was no danger to workers or nearby residents.
Chatham-Kent Legal Clinic housing stability worker Jeff Wilkins, who has assisted Terrace Forty residents since February, said it’s a good thing tenants were able to learn the truth.
“The way the landlord has treated these tenants is deplorable,” Wilkins told The Voice. “He has led them to believe there is a major health risk if they stay during repairs, yet we come to find out the risk is negligible if the landlord does the work properly.
“The fact that he has already started the work, with the majority of tenants still in the building, contradicts his claims of needing the building to be vacant for renovations to be done,” Wilkins added. “This is driven purely out of profit with complete disregard for the people who live there.”
Efforts to reach Brondial were unsuccessful as of press time.
Tenants’ concerns were raised in January of this year. Following the death of the original owner, the 64-year-old building was sold and the new owner issued N13 and N11 notices to all 40 tenants. Tenants are required to move out under N13’s so work can be completed.
Under N11’s – sometimes referred to as “cash for keys” – landlords offer money to residents to vacate a by a specific date.
As part of the N13 information package, residents were warned that lead and asbestos are present in the building and tenants must vacate for at least eight months so the so-called danger can be mitigated. The N13 deadline is May 31.
The recent interaction with the Ministry of Labour proves otherwise, Wilkins stressed.
Harvey, who have lived at the Chatham building for the past nine years, condemned the landlord’s actions.
“The intent is to instill fear in tenants and get them out,” Harvey said following a meeting with the other tenants. “The only way he can double the rent is to get these apartments vacant. There’s a complete disregard for tenants and the community.”
According to Wilkins, it’s the standard M.O. for the Ontario numbered company owned by Brondial, as this tactic has met with success at other properties he owns in the province.
However, Wilkins said the new landlord likely hasn’t met tenants with the resolve Terrace Forty residents possess.
“The tenants have been pretty impressive standing up for their rights with the help of Gord Harvey,” Wilkins said.
For Harvey it a worthwhile cause.
“Many of people here are in the their 80s and 90s,” Harvey stated. “You can see the fear in their eyes, it’s palatable. Some have told me if they have to leave, they’ll be out on the street.”
Residents aren’t saying the owner can’t fix the building, he added, as tenants’ welcome upgrades. However, he questions why the work can’t be done on units as they become available in keeping with a long-term investment.
Harvey also acknowledged that workers, including Ministry of Labour staff, are doing their jobs according to code.
He said the residents’ most recent concerns could have been alleviated by way of direct communication from the landlord.
Wilkins concurred, saying Brondial’s staff had no problem reaching each Terrace Forty resident with a cash for keys offer.
Renoviction threats at Terrace Forty and other C-K properties have prompted Chatham Coun. Marjorie Crew to begin working on a N13 Renoviction draft bylaw. The matter is set to return to C-K council no later than June 22.
