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“This just came out of nowhere. We have nowhere to go,” Sadek said.

John Loubser, director of operations at Timbercreek Communities, said the company has to demolish all 150 units, even if only 25 per cent of them are considered “no longer viable.”

Photo by Tony Caldwell / OTTwp

“They share sewage, they share water mains, they share hydro service, they share roofs, they share foundations. They’re indivisible in a way and that unfortunately makes them all compromised in the relatively near term,” Loubser said.

Timbercreek is offering tenants the provincially mandated three months of rent, plus moving expenses and help with relocation.

Loubser acknowledged there was “quite a bit of shock and awe and some anger” expressed during a meeting with tenants Monday when they learned more about the demolition plan.

The company went through a similar demolition-and-relocation program in 2016 affecting 53 families across 86 similar-style townhomes in Heron Gate. The relocation that year happened over the winter. Timbercreek’s HG7 complex is under development on the land now.

Alta Vista Coun. Jean Cloutier said Timbercreek told him confidentially on April 18 that it would be notifying residents about the relocations.

“My objective is that the residents get the information they need to make the decisions they need to make, in the language of their choice, and in a way they understand so that they can make the best decisions for their families,” Cloutier said.