An elderly St. John’s woman is set to be evicted from her city-owned apartment building today, but the City of St. John’s says all stringent protocols were followed before the decision was made.
Protestors with the Social Justice Co-op gathered at city hall Monday afternoon ahead of the weekly council meeting, objecting to the eviction of Shirley Cox from her apartment building.
They allege that Cox, who is 82-years-old and uses a wheelchair, is being evicted without just cause, and that no reason has been given for her eviction. However, they suspect that it may have to do with Cox being a smoker.
Debbie Wiseman is one of those who showed up at city hall in support of Cox.
She says it is a bad look and is “embarassing” that the city would evict an elderly woman in the winter during a housing crisis.
(City of St. John’s Councillor Ophelia Ravencroft.)
Council’s lead on housing, Ophelia Ravencroft, would not reveal too much about the situation due to privacy concerns with the tenant.
She does reveal, however, that the eviction date was agreed upon between Cox and “her community partners” and was not chosen by the city.
Ravencroft says eviction is something that the city does not take lightly, and there’s a lot of processes that are followed before a notice goes out.
Ms. Cox is my constituent. If the @CityofStJohns had worked with @NLNDPCaucus we could have helped Ms. Cox stay in her home. Nothing except to be told, “Evictions are never easy & the worst part about working in the housing field.” Thanks @SJCNL709 for organizing the rally. https://t.co/hwjJLBUjl5
— James Dinn (@JimDinn) January 30, 2023
