Sheesh. So what happens next?
We wait for the Adjudicator's verdict. I don't think that the lies went over well Foxfyre. This is a video hearing and I was paying attention to the adjudicator. He was giving the Landlord's lawyer "side eye" on his claims.
I made the comment that Mr. Lawyer had never met me, never spoken to me, and to the best of my knowledge, had never set foot on the property. For him to call me a "malicious liar", and to say conditions aren't that bad is ridiculous. The work orders and inspection reports speak for themselves. If LL had maintained the property there wouldn't have been any work orders.
The Adjudicator asked me if I had filed a T2 - a Tenant's claim of harassment and abuse by the Landlord, and I said "No. I wanted to focus on the health and safety issues here." I said that my main concern was gas leaks. Heating season is coming and I'm afraid what happens when we all turn on our gas furnaces.
I also had a paper trail, which I started last August with my Notice letter to the Landlord of his illegal rent increases, harassment, and repairs needed, some of which I had been asking for since before I moved it. He asked how I sent the letter - overnight express post, signature required.
They made wild claims that I had called "everyone" and badmouthed the landlord, lying about him. I told them I called the ESA and they issued a work order over the wiring, which has been fixed, the gas company - and they issued an order for the furnace, and the Fire Marshall, to get a copy of the report on the gas leak from January, 2021. The Fire Marshall issued the complaint that resulted in 4 carloads of inspectors descending on the building, based on the property record. Three calls and work orders were issued by all three governmental bodies.
They said I was lying about the complaint to the County. I filed it. Why would the Fire Marshall file a complaint? And then he said that the idea of 4 carloads of inspectors coming to the building was "preposterous". The County wouldn't send all of the inspectors they had to the building. But they did, and why would I lie about this???
They claimed they couldn't do the work because I wouldn't let anyone in. The Adjudicator asked for the dates and times I refused entry, and who I wouldn't let in, and they immediately started saying I was "mentally unstable", and workers were quitting and refusing to go into my unit because I yelled at them. At one point the Adjudicator said "Are you saying that the work orders haven't been complied with because she's refusing you access to the unit, or because the workers won't go into her unit because she's mentally unstable". It can't be both.
I said nobody's asked for access. No calls, no knock on the door. Nothing. At no time in refuting their lies did I call them "liars".
They said that I didn't show up for the Appeal Hearing for the County Work Order. I was the complainant and I didn't show up. This proves I'm not serious about the repairs. I showed the Adjudicator my notes of that conversation wherein I confirmed that date and time of the Hearing at July 14th at 1:00 p.m. The Hearing was at 11:00. I showed up - 2 hours late.
I'm told that neither the Building Inspector nor the Fire Marshall showed up either. I wonder if they were told the correct time. I was also told that I would have no standing at the Hearing, but I could attend. The Landlord claimed that Order was amended to just a bit of painting, and repairs to the stairs. When the Adjudicator asked to see the Amended Order, they didn't have one.
He mocked the idea that "someone like her" had a high end Sony TV costing $3000 and demanded receipts. I don't have receipts for something I bought in 2010 and which stopped working in five years ago. I had no way of knowing I'd need them again. But I after the hearing I did find a picture of my cat watching tennis on the Sony TV taken in my living room. The Sony logo is clearly visible. The Kliptsch home theatre system ($1500) sitting right underneath it.
This isn't the first time this By-law officer has helped the Landlord. I was shocked there were only 4 items on the WO, but they were big items. But on July 14th, the By-Law officer told me that he's not going to enforce that order. Go to the Tribunal, I'm done. In the past two weeks the landlord has been busy slapping paint on everything. I showed you the repairs he made to the stairs. Those are supposed to be replaced according to the order.
I'm figuring the By-law officer cut some deal with Delbert. There's a lot of stuff the Building Inspector told me would be on the order, that isn't there. Just the four items. They held a Hearing and kept all of us away, and I'll bet money that afterwards the BLO said "You get her out, do a bit of painting, and I'll lift the order".
So Tuesday night I had a lovely chat with my local councillor. I showed him around the property, and the work that Delbert has done. We have a lovely chat about his Aunt Betty, who was a dear friend of mine, and one of the first people I met when we moved here. We share the same knee surgeon.
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My new friend Bernie, the County Councillor has already contacted the Mayor. Bernie was in no way surprised by my suspicious about the By-Law Officer, which I thought was telling. He's going to ensure the County enforces compliance of the original order. The compliance date is September 12th.
It was brutal to sit there an be lied about and attacked in that way. I still haven't fully calmed down. Clearly this lawyer has seriously underestimated me, who I am, and who I know. I'm don't talk about who I am or what I have done in my life, because as one of my friends once said "I'd write a book about your life but no one would believe it".
Any woman who raises an issue an issue and won't back down is "mentally unstable". I had previously complained about their characterizations of me as "malicious" and a "liar" saying that the inspectors and work orders spoke for themselves. Original County Work Order will cost him at least $75,000 so there's now enough money involved that the gloves have come off. When they upped the ante to "mentally unstable" I called their tactics "shameful".
Have been wondering how you are. I know too well the syndrome of our world shrinking as we get older. I look at my Aunt Betty who will be 96 next month and she is the last living member of her large family. I think she might have two cousins left but not sure about that and they aren't in touch. She has one friend left who lives in Houston so of course visiting back and forth isn't in the cards. Hombre and I look at our respective class lists and more of our high school classmates are gone than are still with us.
