Hi Patricia,
Here is the first email I’m sending your way. Carole’s office sent out the email below about the asbestos concerns to the contacts we had in Charter House and Regent Towers. Attached is the letter she sent to Minister Coleman raising the issue.
Tenants should have been informed about the asbestos concerns and offered protections. Fortunately all the tests have come back negative for asbestos in the air. We’re pushing the Minister of Housing, VIHA and Worksafe to make sure tenants are protected moving forward.
I will forward another email shortly about seeking compensation through the Residential Tenancy Branch.
Best regards,
Robyn
Robyn Spilker | Constituency Assistant | Rob Fleming, MLA Victoria-Swan Lake
New Democrat Official Opposition
1020 Hillside Avenue | 250.356.5013
From: James.MLA, Carole
Sent: January 9, 2017 10:57 AM
To: James.MLA, Carole <Carole.James.MLA@leg.bc.ca>
Subject: Letter to Minister for Housing regarding asbestos concerns
Good morning,
Thank you to everyone who has kept our office informed of what is going on with the stop work order and asbestos concerns at Regent Towers and Charter House. While Carole has not yet returned from holidays, I am keeping her updated. She asked for the attached letter to be drafted and sent to Rich Coleman, the Minister Responsible for Housing, which asks the Minister why tenants are not given the same level of safety protection as workers. If you would like to send your own email or letter to the Minister, with a copy to Carole, we encourage you to do so. He can be contacted at:
The Honourable Rich Coleman, MLA
Minister Responsible for Housing
Or by mail to: PO Box 9052, Stn Prov Govt, Victoria, BC V8W 9E2
We understand that WorkSafe and Island Health (VIHA) are both conducting asbestos testing in the buildings. Please continue to keep Carole’s office updated, and please continue to express your concerns in writing to the landlord. If you would like information on your rights as a tenant or how to file for dispute resolution with the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTA), you are welcome to call or email the office (250-952-4211), or use one of the following resources:
TRAC (Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre)
http://tenants.bc.ca/ (website contains a wealth of information on tenant rights and the dispute resolution process)
TAPS (Together Against Poverty Society)
Legal advocates who can directly assist with tenancy disputes
#302-895 Fort Street
The Law Centre
Assistance by UVic law students for low-income individuals
Suite 225 - 850 Burdett Avenue (Victoria Law Courts)
Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB)
This guideline has been updated; please note the following relevant sections:
“Temporary discomfort or inconvenience does not constitute a basis for a breach of the entitlement to quiet enjoyment. Frequent and ongoing interference or unreasonable disturbances may form a basis for a claim of a breach of the entitlement to quiet enjoyment.”
“In determining whether a breach of quiet enjoyment has occurred, it is necessary to balance the tenant’s right to quiet enjoyment with the landlord’s right and responsibility to maintain the premises.”
“A tenant may be entitled to compensation for loss of use of a portion of the property that constitutes loss of quiet enjoyment even if the landlord has made reasonable efforts to minimize disruption to the tenant in making repairs or completing renovations.”
Kind regards,
