Cathy Dobson/The Independent

The nine tenants remaining at Sarnia’s Village Green townhouse complex are feeling some relief today after their landlord withdraw his application to have them evicted during renovations.

“It’s some comfort for us. I was kind of shocked,” says Robyn Johnson who has been fighting what she calls a renoviction since receiving an N-13  notice last winter. 

N-13s are commonly used by landlords to force tenants to leave during major renovations. Legally, those tenants must be allowed to return to their homes and pay the same rental rate once renovations are complete.

Each tenant at Village Green, 852 Exmouth Street N., received N-13s after a new owner from Mississauga purchased the 45 units in late 2025.  Several moved out shortly afterward, some accepted a cash-for-keys deal of $5,000 to leave and one other left after that offer was increased to $10,000. 

But nine of the tenants refused, saying they can’t afford to leave for any length of time and are skeptical that they will be able to move back into Village Green and pay the same rent once the work is done. 

A contractor has already spent months bulldozing the sidewalks and decks, digging holes that created safety concerns, and gutting the unoccupied units. 

Living conditions are noisy, dusty and stressful, but the nine tenants say they will not leave. Instead, they contacted C.L.A.S. (Community Legal Aid Sarnia) and were told receiving an N-13 does not mean they have to move.

The new landlord, a numbered Ontario company whose director is identified as Rex Brondial, filed an application with the Landlord Tenant Board to force the tenants to move, but it was withdrawn minutes before the hearing Wednesday.

A paralegal appeared on behalf of Brondial and did not provide a reason for the withdrawal.

However, C.L.A.S paralegal Jon Swain, said the N-13s are required by law to be accompanied by cheques for three month’s rent.

“The paralegal (for Brondial) knew no compensation was sent with the N-13s, the applications weren’t legal, and that they’d be dismissed,” Swain said.

However, he regards Wednesday’s withdrawal as a temporary reprieve.

“All indications are that (the landlord) is not stopping,” Swain said.  “I fully expect they’ll reapply.  We’re taking a wait-and-see approach.”

Tenant Jeff Corey, 67, said the threat of possible eviction is taking a toll on him.

“The thought of having to move is very stressful,” said Corey who pays $970 a month for his two-bedroom townhouse.  “If I had to leave, I would be paying $1,000 more to live somewhere else and I don’t have that.

“But it’s good news today,” he said.  “I feel like I can put it to the back of my mind for a few months anyway.”

Paperwork sent to the tenants earlier indicated that Brondial wanted them to leave because of concerns related to asbestos and lead while renovations proceed with kitchens, flooring, doors, bathrooms, plumbing and electrical. The landlord estimated the work will take eight months. 

In earlier correspondence with The Independent, Brondial wrote that an engineer and someone with the Ministry of the Environment would “testify that the tenants must vacate the property prior to the renovations being completed.”

When that didn’t happen, Johnson said she was surprised. 

“He assumed we’re going to bow and we’re not.  This is our home and we aren’t going anywhere,” she said. 

Swain said Brondial has every right to renovate the 70-year-old complex but that it’s possible to do the work one unit at a time so no one has to move.

He said C.L.A.S. could file an application of its own to the Landlord Tenant Board since mailboxes were removed and Village Green residents no longer have mail delivery.  Instead, they’ve been instructed to pick up their mail at the post office downtown.

“That can be a hardship,” Swain said. “There are some who don’t drive.  We also have concerns about health and safety while the work is being done.”

So-called renovictions are becoming more common in Sarnia and city council decided in February to draft a bylaw to protect tenants.

When the newly-elected Sarnia council convenes Nov. 23, it’s anticipated a draft bylaw will be ready for debate that requires landlords to obtain renovation licences, provide gap payments and pay moving expenses.