‘Slap in the face’: Tenants evicted for demolition, units then posted for higher rent

Karlie Rheaume had only been living at their Sackville, N.B., apartment unit for a couple of months when they received an eviction notice on July 3.

The letter said tenants would have to be out by the beginning of August because the building’s new owners planned to demolish it.

“Those notices were served on my door. I was at work. I got a text of a picture of my door with those pages, and they clearly stated, ‘We’re demolishing the building,'” said Rheaume (they/them).

They and their neighbours scrambled to find new places to live that was within their budget — not an easy feat in the current housing market.

“Having a month to find housing was like, ‘Where am I going to live?’ There’s already a pretty tough market here in Sackville,” Rheaume said.

“It wasn’t until a coworker of mine spoke to his partner, who was working out of province, and (said), ‘I have a spare room if you need one.’ I didn’t have anywhere else to go, so that’s where I went.”

Imagine Rheaume’s surprise when they saw the same unit on Weldon Street listed in early August for $1,500 — or nearly double their original rent of $825.

The online posting touts the two-bedroom unit’s features, which include parking and pet-friendly rules. It also states the apartment is “getting fully painted” and has new kitchen flooring and updates.

“Looking for short term, 8 months +|-, we may demolish and rebuild,” the bottom of the ad reads.

Rheaume doesn’t mince words when it comes to their reaction.

“It felt like kind of a slap in the face honestly, because all of this hardship and time that I’ve spent (looking for a new apartment) could have not happened,” they said.

Global News spoke to the building’s landlord, Genevieve Savoie, who declined an on-camera interview.

She says she