An adjudicator at the Landlord and Tenant Board who admitted to being in a conflict of interest issued an order advocates say weakened the legal position of a tenant facing eviction after losing his job during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. “If you have a potential conflict … you can’t make any decision of any kind.”Despite raising the possible conflict, Kiekens asked the lawyers whether they wanted her to issue an interim order, which is a temporary order usually put in place until a case can be fully heard. At the hearing, Ley, the lawyer for Pinedale, requested that the tenant be ordered to pay his rent in full and on time going forward. If the tenant doesn’t pay his rent going forward, and asks for more time when he comes before the next adjudicator, the landlord will have an extra argument: the tenant has breached the board’s order. El-houni and her colleagues are now taking steps to have the interim order reviewed.

Source: thestar December 04, 2020 10:52 UTC