As long-term residents of Herongate, Saido Gashan and Abdullahi Ali were witness and subject to Timbercreek’s strategy of systemic neglect. Furthermore, as members of the Herongate Somali community they have experienced how Timbercreek’s actions have irreparably and fundamentally damaged the cultural community of Herongate.

Lebanese Canadian Leilani Farha, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing, will be giving a talk at Carleton University this Tuesday, February 26 from 6:00-8:00 pm.

We would like to thank Mayor Jim Watson for his efforts to help support tenants facing eviction in Herongate by negotiating with Timbercreek for an extension and a larger financial compensation. However, the tenants in Herongate are not fighting for more time or more money.

As you may be aware, our neighbourhood, Herongate, is currently undergoing the largest eviction campaign in Canada. We are being mass evicted, our affordable townhouses destroyed and our community torn apart. This is a gross violation of human rights.

Herongate is located where Heron Rd emerges from Walkley Rd in Ottawa’s southeast. It is the most diverse neighbourhood in Ottawa. It is also one of the poorest. The neighbourhood has a significantly large and multigenerational Muslim community.

The north side of Herongate is owned almost entirely by one company, Timbercreek. The Toronto-based corporation acquired housing in the Herongate area in 2012 and 2013.Many tenants feel that Timbercreek has purposefully neglected the houses in Herongate because they knew they intended to evict the tenants, demolish the houses, and build housing that is targeted towards higher income tenants. Explore this process of neglect in pictures online here.