Hydro dispute leaves 9 tenants without power in Brant County

For more than a month, nine people residing at a motel on the outskirts of Brantford haven’t had power.

The Plaza Motel on Colborne Street in Brant County lost power on July 10 after a dispute between the tenants and the landlord caused the hydro bill to be in arrears.

Those living there say they’re paying their rent, but the property owner says otherwise.

“It’s been years since some of the tenants have paid for their rooms,” Nazir Ahmed says, adding that “he’s out of money.”

“I don’t have the money to pay for them. This place has made me bankrupt, disabled and have family problems … I don’t have money to pay for them anymore.”

He adds that he asked them to at least pay for the utilities that they’re using so it doesn’t get cut off, but the tenants tell a different story.

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“It’s very difficult,” John O’Grady says of the living conditions. “We lost all our groceries. We’re trying to live day by day, but it’s awfully expensive eating out, so we’re kind of running out of money. I spent all my money on generators but they don’t work.”

Another resident, Randy, who didn’t want to give his last name, called the situation “horrible,” adding that he has “to eat out all the time,” as he can’t keep any food in his unit without it going bad.

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The same building was involved in a dispute in 2020 when the heat was cut off for several months.

This time, the residents there say they’re looking toward municipal or provincial authorities to maintain their basic living standards.

“The municipality stepping in and doing what needs to be done would fix things,” Allana Simmons, who also lives in the motel told CHCH News.

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Greg Bergeron, Director of Enforcement and Regulatory services for Brant county told CHCH News that as the motel is not county-owned, the long-standing dispute between the landlord and tenants needs to settled through the Landlord and Tenant Board.

He said the county is aware of previous board decisions confirming that some tenants had not paid rent and that there is currently no applications before the board.

The director made note that the county had responded to issues related to the property which had been the subject of Property Standards By-laws since Fall 2020. He says that the building itself has seen “very little maintenance” over the years.

Bergeron confirms that there is an outstanding “do not reconnect electricity” order issued by a provincial body but that electrical work was performed without a permit.

He says the tenants have been offered alternative housing options and that County of Brant staff are currently in the process of arranging mediation services.