Article content

After five months in the Caribbean, John Balcaran returned to Ottawa in April 2017 to a giant surprise — his apartment was empty.

Except for a couple of boxes, the contents of his home for 14 years was gone — Unit 302 at 2850 Cedarwood Dr. had been cleaned out and the locks had been changed.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Egan: A tenant's harsh homecoming — evicted, possessions in dumpster Back to video

“I’m 78 years old,” he said. “Everything I’ve acquired in my life was in that apartment.”

It would only get worse. Balcaran, a retired tailor and clothes designer, would soon discover he’d been evicted without his knowledge and the vast majority of his possessions thrown in a dumpster.

He ended up, temporarily, in emergency housing. For the remainder of 2017, he fought for compensation and was awarded $12,500 by the Landlord and Tenant Board of Ontario.

But, after a successful appeal by the landlord, Timbercreek Asset Management Inc., the award was overturned on Dec. 1, leaving him with nothing.

“All I want,” he says, “is what they stole from me.” Among the losses he claims is a trove of gold and diamond jewelry, dozens of high-end suits and ties, a large screen television, a computer, thousands in cash, and a large number of family heirlooms.