A group of Victoria Towers tenants is meeting to discuss their legal options and future dealings since a fire destroyed their collective home.
It will be months before the 60-some apartments are ready for habitation again.
"There is more to this than just a fire. There has been no attempt to pay back our damage deposits or November rent money," said Tony Wedzinga who lived in apartment 801.
Concerns are especially large for him, as he recently won an arbitration ruling against the owners of the building, Pacific West Properties of Vancouver (attempts to reach them for comment were unsuccessful).
A substantial amount of free tenancy was owed to him due to Residential Tenancy Act infractions by the landlords.
The longest known resident of Victoria Towers, requesting his name be withheld, had lived there for 30-plus years, but was in hospital when the fire destroyed his home. Friends are helping him align his affairs but they said he, too, was being left without answers about financial compensation for the home he has lost.
"Should the landlord be responsible? I think so," said one of the friends. "The fire wasn't the landlord's doing, but the state of the building and the effects of the smoke were such that it sure wasn't the tenants' fault."
Elena and Mark Timm moved into the building two days before the fire. They have been at the Days Inn ever since, in rooms provided by the provincial emergency social services program.
"Where does the landlord's responsibility kick in?" Timm said.
"I don't like my life being threatened. I've been in some scrapes before, but that was about as scared as I've ever been. We had all that smoke coming in, even after we tucked wet towels under the door. We tried to get out but the stairwells were filled with smoke and I was starting to lose my orientation so we had to go back to our apartment and wait.
"There is a whole lot of questions I would like the landlords to answer, but where are they? And I view that [the fire] as a threat made against my life and my wife's life and we are definitely seeking legal input."
Residents are anticipating higher rents and a prolonged time before the building is returned to habitability, but that's speculation even the emergency services co-ordinators couldn't address.
"We have made attempts. I will leave it at that," said Brad Beckett, the city's co-ordinator of the relief effort, about establishing communication with the property owners.
"The lack of communication is making people understandably frustrated," said Tana Colebank, who has been helping family members move out of the contaminated building and on to a new home. "People are testy. I don't blame them."
The meeting for all affected tenants (only tenants or their direct representatives) is scheduled for Monday at 10:30 a.m. at the Days Inn.
