Latest news with #Ontario
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
2 cities, 2 buildings and 1 fugitive landlord leaves tenants in unlivable conditions
A wanted fugitive accused of being the ringleader of a grandparent scam has left tenants in two southwestern Ontario cities with a host of maintenance issues and no one to turn to for help. Gareth West, 45, owns two apartment buildings in London and St. Thomas, according to property records obtained by CBC News. He's been at large since U.S. authorities issued an arrest warrant for him in February for the alleged scam call centre he operated out of Montreal, defrauding American seniors out of more than $21 million US. Tenants at both of his buildings say they haven't been able to get a hold of West in months. In that time, they've dealt with sporadic power and water outages, garbage piling up, their units in need of significant repairs and now, without a landlord, they're unsure of what comes next. "We're kind of left in limbo. Gareth is missing in action and nobody knows where he is," Audrey Knight said, who lives at 14 Holland Street, a three-storey walk-up in St. Thomas where she pays $1,900 in rent each month. "We have one email [contact] and it doesn't get replies, so we're just trying to navigate where we go next and unfortunately nobody really has great answers for us," Knight said. Despite residents keeping up with their monthly rent, power was cut off for several hours on Tuesday because their landlord hasn't paid the hydro bills. Garbage also hasn't been collected since April and some residents have taken it upon themselves to do lawn care and clean the building, Knight said. "It's very stressful when you don't know from one day to the next if I'm going to have water or electricity because we paid all our bills," said Wendy Nichols, 70, who has lived at the building for almost six years. The residents said they won't be paying rent until the situation is resolved, with some saying efforts to make their payments have been unsuccessful. A handful of residents said their deposits weren't accepted, though others said the money was withdrawn from their accounts. The City of St. Thomas has issued property standards orders, which allows bylaw to enforce the Residential Tenancies Act. Tenants believe the next step will be the bank seizing the property and it going on sale again. Property records show West purchased in the building in 2022 and Nichols said she is among the few residents who have met him. She said he offered her a $20,000 buyout to move elsewhere, so he could renovate the property and raise rent, which she declined. West has branded himself on social media as a real estate builder and health enthusiast, and made several Instagram videos standing outside his properties, including in St. Thomas, where he'd give tips on flipping properties and using the "cash for keys" model to renovict tenants. He and 25 others are facing wire fraud charges in the U.S. for the alleged grandparent scam, and if West is convicted, he could spend 40 years in jail. West's London, Ont. property It's a similar situation for tenants over at his other rental on 308 Egerton Street in London. Residents at the apartment have banded together in efforts to fix their water heater but are told they might have to incur those costs out of pocket, which most people can't afford, said Cheyenne Lemieux, who has lived there since September. "We've been without hot water for about a-week-and-half now, our garbage hasn't been taken out in over a month. There's garbage everywhere, some of us have been keeping it in our units because we don't know what to do with it. We're drowning in it," said tenant Andrew Foster. "It's been a pretty rough situation, especially since I have two young kids." The tenants said they're frustrated because they've been forced to take on responsibilities they didn't sign up for. "We're just supposed to pay rent and that's why somebody moves into an apartment, so they don't have to deal with the other stuff with having a house but we're worrying about the garbage, grass and cleaning the building. It would be nice to worry about my own apartment and not all the other things that have come with it," said Knight. City officials in St. Thomas didn't respond to a request for comment in time for publication. The City of London said after failed attempts to contact the property owner to address the maintenance issues, it is now working with the mortgage company to resolve the matter.
CTV News
5 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
Public meeting held to discuss plans for Fairmont Public School lands
Former Fairmont lands under redevelopment, with plans for affordable housing units. CTV London's Lauren Stallone reports.
Globe and Mail
6 hours ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Judge points to ‘tainted' process in Toronto's St. Michael's Hospital bidding process at Bondfield trial
The judge presiding over the trial of two men facing criminal fraud charges stemming from the $300-million redevelopment of Toronto's St. Michael's Hospital says the bidding process was 'tainted.' Vas Georgiou, former chief administrative officer of St. Michael's, and John Aquino, the former president of Bondfield Construction Co. Ltd., are each charged with two counts of fraud over $5,000. Both men have pleaded not guilty. 'What the public have lost is the belief that this very expensive procurement would be fair without interference by anybody, and what they have is something that stinks,' Justice Peter Bawden told an Ontario court on Thursday. The Superior Court of Justice case resumed this week after 24 days of testimony last November and December. Since then, Crown prosecutors and defence lawyers submitted written closing arguments amounting to 345 pages, and the hearing on Thursday was designed to allow the judge to address them. Justice Bawden described this week's hearing as 'a bit unorthodox,' but he said it would allow him to tell the court what he thinks about the voluminous written submissions while providing the lawyers with the opportunity to say if he is wrong. The judge is scheduled to deliver his verdict on Oct. 7. Justice Bawden said the public was counting on a fair competition for the hospital redevelopment. Instead, he said, 'the procurement is tainted because of the conduct of the two accused.' Bondfield president given 'insider information,' prosecution alleges in St. Michael's Hospital case The Crown's case against Mr. Georgiou and Mr. Aquino focuses on their alleged undisclosed business connections, as well as their alleged secret communications throughout the bidding process for the lucrative hospital project, which Bondfield won in 2015. These alleged communications took place over a e-mail address and a BlackBerry that Mr. Aquino gave to Mr. Georgiou. The Crown has alleged that Mr. Georgiou used the BlackBerry to leak confidential information about the procurement to Mr. Aquino. Prosecutors allege in their written submissions that the discovery of the electronic devices, set up for the purpose of communicating in secret about the hospital procurement, provide the 'most egregious examples of criminality.' Defence lawyers counter in their submissions that the Crown is overstating the secret nature of the BlackBerry, adding that breaking the rules is not always a criminal act. Justice Bawden said most of his big issues involve Mr. Georgiou, whose defence lawyer, Peter Brauti, fielded a number of questions from the judge. 'I fear that I could see a conviction of your client even if I largely accept his evidence,' Justice Bawden said. 'That makes me very nervous.' Former St. Michael's CEO testifies he was unaware of alleged secret messages between men accused of hospital-bid fraud Mr. Georgiou testified in his own defence last December. The judge noted that Mr. Georgiou's testimony revealed he was strongly motivated to further establish his reputation in the hospital procurement sector and get the St. Michael's expansion and renovation done. Justice Bawden told court that it was almost as though Mr. Georgiou had a conflict from the start: He wanted the procurement to succeed, but he was also a member of a hospital committee set up to impartially evaluate bids from construction companies competing for the project. But, the judge said, the existence of the BlackBerry and e-mail address causes him to see the conflicts in a different light. Had Mr. Aquino not been 'coached' by Mr. Georgiou, he speculated that perhaps the procurement should have failed or proceeded at a higher price. The only surviving content on Mr. Georgiou's e-mail account was communication between him and Mr. Aquino on the May, 2014, long weekend – three days before the deadline for hospital bids. On May 18, Mr. Georgiou advised Mr. Aquino to keep certain costs out of Bondfield's proposed price, explaining that he could 'always fight later when we are No. 1,' says one e-mail. Former St. Michael's Hospital executive promoted co-accused's company before it won project bid, court hears In their submission, Crown prosecutors note that Mr. Georgiou, a busy executive away with his wife for a personal trip in England during the long weekend, answered Mr. Aquino's questions. The fact that Mr. Georgiou brought the BlackBerry with him on a weekend away underscores the intensity of his ties to Mr. Aquino, prosecutors allege in their submission: 'He was ready and expecting to assist.' Alan Gold, Mr. Aquino's lawyer, told the court on Thursday that Bondfield's bid was done by the May long weekend and had nothing to do with anything Mr. Georgiou said in the e-mails. 'Whatever taint your honour sees is totally harmless,' he said. Mr. Brauti told the court Bondfield was the uncrowned winner of the procurement by May, 2014, because the other two rival companies had submitted bids well in excess of the budget. Any rule-breaking, he said, did not result in an unfair outcome. And if the outcome was fair, he said, there was no fraud. At the end of Thursday's hearing, Mr. Gold said the May, 2014 e-mail exchange between Mr. Aquino and Mr. Georgiou did not 'cost victims any money' and, therefore, did not constitute fraud. Special to The Globe and Mail
CTV News
6 hours ago
- Health
- CTV News
Toxic drug supply causing complex overdoses in Sudbury
Officials are warning that street drugs are being mixed with other substances, making Naxalone ineffective to combat overdoses. Officials are warning that street drugs are being mixed with other substances, making Naxalone ineffective to combat overdoses. Outreach workers and Public Health Sudbury and Districts say toxic overdoses have been increasing in the area lately. Officials said illegal drugs are being cut with substances that Naloxone -- a medication for opioid overdoses – can't reverse. Naxalone Officials said illegal drugs are being cut with substances that Naloxone -- a medication for opioid overdoses – can't reverse. (Alana Everson/CTV News) In May, the Go Give Project said it handed out about 220 Naloxone kits, a fast-acting medication that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. But Ali Farooq, The Go Give Project co-founder, said it only works on opioid overdoses. Increase in toxic overdoses 'While it will reverse the effects of the opioid that the individual is suffering, it will not have any other effect on any other contaminants or additives to the supply,' Farooq said. He said outreach workers are seeing an increase in toxic overdoses, which he attributed to a more toxic drug supply. 'This usually ties in when we have big drug busts in the province and around the country,' Farooq said. 'It limits the supply coming in and therefore we find more and more contaminants mixed in with the drugs going out onto the streets.' Sam Mortimer Public Health nurse Sam Mortimer said it's a reminder of just how toxic the unregulated drug supply is and making overdoses more complex. (Alana Everson/CTV News) Public Health said it's a reminder of just how toxic the unregulated drug supply is and making overdoses more complex. 'Those sedatives and tranquilizers that have been added into the supply in recent years increase those effects,' said public health nurse Sam Mortimer. 'We are seeing people who are staying asleep or sedated for a lot longer, which puts them at a greater risk. And it also decreases their ability to breathe, which, again, puts them at risk for respiratory distress or arrest.' Health unit officials said it's still vitally important to administer Naloxone in an overdose, call 911 and give rescue breaths while waiting for help.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Highway 417 reopened after serious crash sends man to hospital
A man has been hospitalized with potentially life-threatening injuries following a crash on Highway 417 late Thursday morning that closed the eastbound lanes through downtown Ottawa for several hours. First responders were called to the scene of the two-vehicle crash near the Metcalfe Street exit at around 11:55 a.m., an Ottawa Paramedic Service spokesperson told CBC. One vehicle was rear-ended, paramedics said, causing it to spin out and hit the highway's guard rail. The critically injured man was inside the vehicle that was struck, paramedics said. It's believed he was also injured by personal objects that were inside the vehicle, they added. The man was the only person taken to hospital. The highway's eastbound lanes were closed near the Metcalfe exit after the crash. They were reopened shortly after 4 p.m., although Ontario Provincial Police warned that traffic would be heavy until the backlog was cleared.
