The Local — March 2023
Tenants See Evictions; Their Landlord Sees a Revolutionary New Business Model
words by jay cockburn
In March 2023, Justin Cowen’s apartment building was bought by a numbered company—14792670 Canada Inc.
The building at 30 Charles St. East is a three-story yellowstone Edwardian walk-up. Located just off Yonge Street in the centre of Toronto, the 21-unit apartment is one of the few heritage buildings left on the street.
“It’s one of the last affordable buildings around here, and right next to the subway line,” says Cowen, a 27-year-old PhD student who has lived there since March 2022. “It’s really difficult to redevelop, so I thought I was safe here.”
Shortly after the purchase, Cowen says, things began to change at 30 Charles St. “When they took over the lights went out,” says Cowen. That’s not a metaphor; according to tenants, on March 2, 2023 the hallway lights stopped working, and they’ve been out intermittently ever since, sometimes for almost two months.
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