92-year-old evicted Toronto man fighting for damages - BERITAJA

A 92-year-old man who says he was kicked retired of his Little Italy flat past summertime is still fighting for compensation aft what his family and advocates telephone an unlawful eviction.

Isidoro Ventullo lived successful a mini flat conscionable southbound of College and Clinton streets for 2 decades until past summer, erstwhile his landlord said he was moving in. His family claims the building’s proprietor ne'er moved successful and took the matter to the Landlord and Tenant Board but was unsuccessful.

A twelvemonth later, the building is now up for waste for much than $2.2 million, which NDP MPP Jessica Bell says is further impervious that the eviction was illegal.

“We knew it was an forbidden eviction backmost past and coming we person much evidence, because this spot is being put up for waste for $2.275 million,” said the University-Rosedale MPP.

Ventullo’s niece, Luisa Tedesco, said the Landlord and Tenant Board process was unnecessarily analyzable for her elder uncle, including virtual hearings.

“He has nary documentation, it’s difficult for him to explicate his communicative sequentially, English is not his first language,” she said. “So I deliberation location was a batch of things that went against my uncle for those reasons.”

Bell said Ventullo’s lawsuit is acold excessively communal successful a strategy that doesn’t prioritize tenants’ rights. When the legislature returns successful the fall, she said she is going to push for authorities to alteration that.

“Tenants person to conflict backmost pinch their hands tied down their backs because the laws are weak, enforcement is mediocre and the fines are minuscule,” she said.

In September, Ventullo is attempting to activity about $50,000 successful compensation astatine the Landlord and Tenant Board for his ordeal, which included the nonaccomplishment of individual possessions erstwhile he mislaid his home.

Spencer Toole, a lawyer representing the building’s owner, George Gemelo, disputed the allegation. In an emailed connection to BERITAJA, he said “the proposal that the eviction of Mr. Ventullo was “illegal” does not respect the decisions of the Landlord and Tenant Board aliases the Divisional Court.”

Toole said his customer is looking guardant to responding to the allegations astatine the Landlord and Tenant Board and won’t beryllium litigating the lawsuit successful the press.

While Ventullo managed to find a caller spot to unrecorded successful Little Portugal, his niece said his full life was built about his erstwhile residence and that each time he travels to Little Italy to spell shopping, be doctor’s appointments and meet pinch friends.