Winnipeg apartment eviction: landlord facing fines [Video]

A Winnipeg landlord is facing $9,000 in penalties following a mass eviction at an apartment block this summer.

According to a provincial spokesperson, the Residential Tenancies Branch (RTB) issued 32 orders in July to Kelly Vasas, the landlord of 285 College Ave., after dozens of residents were evicted in July.

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During evictions, residents of the building came home to find their belongings strewn on the lawn and their locks changed without notice.

“I think that the landlord at those College Avenue apartments acted illegally, irresponsibly and treated tenants in a terrible way,” Manitoba’s Consumer Protection Minister Lisa Naylor said on Wednesday.

At the time of the eviction, Manitoba Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith said evictions without due cause are illegal in Manitoba, as is disposing of a tenants’ belongings or changing the locks …