"I was in tears at one point," she said. "Like, I just didn't know what to do."

Beaupre, who was raised in Guelph, didn't tell her landlord that her family had moved from the city last year, instead making up an excuse as to why she couldn't go there. Still, she said the landlord asked if there was anyone else she could stay with.

"I'm just naturally the kind of person who doesn't like to create a scene and make a fuss about things, so I didn't even think about it ... I went upstairs and I started just packing a bag mindlessly and making phone calls and texting," said the 25-year-old.

Frantically trying to find a place, she sent out a mass-text to anyone she could think of nearby: "This is crazy, but I need somewhere to stay for a couple days."

Beaupre's mother Jennifer remembers getting the call.

"I was absolutely shocked when she called me that evening ... I just felt completely helpless," Jennifer said.

The mother was living in Portland, Ont., about 400 km northeast of Guelph. While she said she would be happy to have her daughter move back there with her, Tianna already had a life in Guelph, one she couldn't leave at the drop of a hat.

Besides, she said, her daughter had been paying rent at the house for three-and-a-half years. It was her home.

"It's just not OK at any time to have done what she (the landlord) did, and shame on her for having done it," she said.

Thankfully, that evening, one of Tianna's friends who also worked in a grocery store agreed to let her stay, but only for a few nights. Longer-term relief would come later.

Pandemic rules

It is illegal for landlords to evict someone during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the legislation put in place under the Residential Tenancies Act has a"big hole" when it comes to protecting certain tenants, said Jeff Schlemmer, a staff lawyer at the Legal Clinic of Guelph and Wellington County.

"The biggest (exception) is if you're sharing a kitchen or bathroom, in which case the act doesn't apply, and you have no, what they call 'security of tenure', and that is that you're not entitled to keep your place and the landlord can evict you any time they want to basically," he said.

In Toronto, this led to a nurse being yanked from her home by police after an altercation with her landlord.

In a report on that case, the Toronto Star notes that it asked Premier Ford what would be done to legally protect tenants in this situation, but didn't get a definitive answer.

Instead, Ford urged landlords and tenants “to work together to ensure no one is left without a roof over their head during this challenging time.”

Schlemmer said he wants to see better legislation in place that protects tenants.

Since there is no longer a legitimate way to evict someone, Schlemmer said his organization is expecting to see an increase in landlords who "just change locks," as more and more people are unable to make their payments amid pandemic pressure.

"So we're hoping that the authorities will kind of get together to prevent that kind of thing," he said.

For Beaupre and her former landlord, dereliction of payment was never an issue. Both said that it was a mostly amicable living arrangement up until March — other than Beaupre saying the landlord was a little "in my business."

And since the two shared a bathroom and kitchen, the landlord is within her legal rights asking Beaupre to leave.

'I never asked her to leave'

Still, the landlord, whose name the Mercury Tribune agreed not to publish over fears of repercussion, said she remembers the events of that night differently.

"I never asked her to leave," she said, continuing that she was only asking Beaupre to find somewhere else to stay for a short time.

"I was sick. I have underlying health issues. And I was exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms. The only reason I asked her to stay somewhere else was because I didn't think it was safe for her to be here at that time."

The landlord said she's hurt by the way Beaupre characterized the events of that night, and that over the three-plus years the woman lived there, she thought of her as "my own daughter."

"I did all the laundry. I did everything for her. I did. You don't put your daughter out on the street," she said.

Asked why Beaupre may have come away with the impression she couldn't live there anymore, the landlord said she didn't know.

"If she had spoken with me when she came back ... but she wouldn't speak to me," she said, adding that she later texted Beaupre that she wasn't evicted and could return at any time, but never got an answer.

"It would be uncomfortable, and I have no desire to go back. I'm still angry about it," Beaupre said, adding that it was the way the landlord handled the situation.

"Her intentions were pretty clear. She wanted me gone for that week, and when I came back she said 'you're moving out, right?' "

The landlord said that she asked that questions at face value, and wanted to know if Beaupre would be coming back.

Beaupre said the landlord only welcomed her back after the tenant (mistakenly) told her it was illegal to evict someone during the pandemic.

Just a misunderstanding?

"She never said anything, like, I'm worried that you're gonna get it. It was more, like, I'm scared you're gonna bring something home. That's the way that I kind of thought of it," Beaupre said.

Beaupre said she wasn't angry at first, just "shocked" she was asked to leave in a time of crisis.

"I never expected this to happen ... I was renting a room, so I don't have a lot of belongings, but that is my safe place. That was my place to go, and to have that just totally ripped out from under you is just ... It's crazy. It's a horrible feeling."

Beaupre and her mother both said they can appreciate where the landlord is coming from, noting the lady is in her 60s and has pre-existing health concerns, but it doesn't change the fact that the younger woman felt like she had no place to go.

"I don't wish anybody any ill-will whatsoever. I know that fear is a huge motivator to do things that you wouldn't normally do. So I absolutely understand it," Jennifer said.

"But just for anybody else out there who's thinking of doing something like this, it's not OK. It's just not OK. We need to be kind."

Moving on

The story has a happy ending as far as Beaupre is concerned.

Since her living arrangement with her friend was temporary, Jennifer took to Facebook asking if anyone could possibly help her daughter with a place to live.

Beaupre said the response was fast, and incredible.

"There were at least 50-60 people, people I'd never met before, reaching out saying 'Is there anything we can do? Can we help?' At a time like this, it just made me feel so good. It overwhelmed me in a good way," she said.

One of the people who stepped up was Mike Orsan, a brother of Jennifer's partner, who said he was happy to help someone "get on their feet." Beaupre is now staying in a vacant house he had been trying to sell.

Beaupre said Orsan even helped her move things out of her old place.

"It's a nice two-bedroom, lots of space ... backyard. So that's where I am right now. And I'm really thankful ... So grateful, so lucky."