Two student tenants were removed from the offices of Sage II after an altercation with the condo manager ended with one student being physically shoved out the office door by the manager. </p>
The dispute, which took place.Sept. 30, was caught on camera and later posted on YouTube. The video, which has gained over 73,000 views on YouTube since its original posting Oct. 1, showed the upset manager telling the students: “Get out. The pair of you get out.”
According to CTV News, Waterloo Regional Police Services said that they “do not anticipate laying any charges in the case,” because the man who refused to leave was on private property at the time of the incident.
Sage II is a property owned by Domus Student Housing Inc. and which commonly houses students from UW, Laurier, and Conestoga. The building was supposed to have been opened for students to move in Sept. 1, but due to delays, the move-in date was pushed back.
According to CTV News, the students in the video had been there waiting for an explanation for the multiple delays. Preceding the events of the video, students had been at the Sage II offices for three hours, waiting for an explanation.
In a statement to Imprint, Ho Tek, a partner at Domus, said the company was “deeply disturbed and embarrassed” by this incident. With the assistance of a third party, Domus has launched a private investigation. Since the incident, the employee has been fired.
“We have a reputation for, and in fact pride ourselves in, treating all persons with respect at all times. This is an isolated incident and one that should never be repeated,” said Tek, later adding, “Our apologies to all students who were either involved in or a witness to this unfortunate event.”
Students affected have yet to get in contact with the Waterloo Public Interest Research Group (WPIRG), however, the organization has in the past advocated for the rights of students after being mistreated by landlords. Brandon Love, a spokesperson and board of directors member at WPIRG, said that students “should be given a clear and credible move-in date; they should be compensated for any cost due to the moving delay … and that deposit should be returned.”
Love later went on to mention that WPIRG will be hosting a meeting Oct. 7 in which housing and tenancy concerns will be addressed.
Police told CTV News that if circumstances like this one occur in the future, they ask that people call the police before resorting to force.
To see the video of the student tenants being removed from the office, click here:
