Our last day in Vancouver for the foreseeable future was marked by a lot of frenzied dashing about driving. Did some banking, visited a couple of book shops, picked up some replacement light bulbs and baby Gravol for the dogs. For my final Vancouver lunch, it was tacos at La Taqueria. Damn, I’m going to miss that place.
It’s an early turn-in for us tonight as we’ll be up bright and early dark and early tomorrow morning well before the crack of dawn. Out of bed at 4:30 a.m., picked up at 5:20 a.m., flying out at 7:00 a.m. Crazy, I know, but I’m hoping the dogs will be nice and tired for the flight. They’re usually pretty good so…fingers crossed.
Just received word from the production office that the landlord/realtor of our crap apartment in Toronto –
is unwilling to let us out of the lease. They’re also unwilling to install blinds or dressers. So, in the event we can’t work something out and I’m stuck with the place, I will be posting the full address of this condo from Hell on this blog as I highlight it’s hilarious lowlights in regular instalments. In the event this place goes back on the market, a quick google search will bring up ACTUAL photos of the place…along with an honest tenant’s appraisal.
Today, I also bid adieu to my friend Vancouver Ivon who is leaving the city after fifteen years to move back to his home town of Toronto. Granted, since he’s a Consulting Producer on Dark Matter, I’ll no doubt be spending more time with him than I’ll care to this coming season, but it will nevertheless be sad to think I’ll have to make my own slow cooked pork tacos next football season. The end of an era.
Speaking of which – a blog dedication to Vaun Wilmott and the rest of his Dominion team for two ferociously unique seasons of television. And another dedication to Dominion fandom. Fight on, Angel Corps!
G’day
Save travels.
Sucks about that apartment. Our landlord never does any maintenance on this house, starting to fall apart, time to get out.
Joe, I think you and Akemi need an electric smoker for your deck in Vancouver…after conquering the Turducken, the challenge of the brisket and picnic butts will give you a new purpose! 🙂
Safe travels tomorrow; I’ll be flying back from Texas myself, so you have my sympathy. And good luck on exiting the lease; is there no recourse for mis-representation?
Give the dogs a time-shifting ear tussle and here’s wishing for an uneventful travel experience!
Well Joe, there is only one thing you can do about that apartment in Toronto.
Get kicked out. May I suggest:
1. barking dogs
2. pooping dogs (in hallways, by front desk, outside manager’s office)
3. frequently burn popcorn (that smell is horrible)
4. pee peeing dogs (on carpet and hallways)(not in your apartment of course)
5. loud music
6. loud parties
7. put stinky cheese in the hallway
8. frequent calls for phantom maintenance… clogged up sinks and toilets, dishwasher not working but when they come, its mysteriously working again…
9. banging noises around the apartment
10. ask if you can paint an accent wall or room – black
11. constantly slamming doors
12. car alarm going off all the time
13. constant calls to manager for upgrades (complain a lot)
14. have some young kids come visit you frequently, let them run and scream down the hallways
15. kill those house plants immediately and tell them to come and get them
16. get a drum set or other instrument and “learn’ how to play it.
17. if upstairs, stomp around the apartment
18. keep TV turned up real loud
Come on! You’ve been kicked out before, you can do it again!
Have a nice flight Wednesday. Praying for your safety.
Hey Joe
So sorry to hear you can’t get out of the lease… I’ve been Googling Rental Laws in Ontario. Does this form help?
Tenant Application about Maintenance.
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp
I would recommend you take photos or video of the condition when you arrive so you can prove the apartment was in this condition when you moved in. Prioritise what is most important. Stand up for your rights but understand that he could make your life even more difficult.
I really wish you, Akemi and the dogs well.
Oh Ivon….. I’m sad, but happy and hopeful…. I really wish him well for Toronto.
If I can help researching anything, please let me know… happy to help.
Cheers, Chev
p.s. Safe travels…. get some sleep!!!
I’m sure Toronto “City Hall” must have some “by-laws” or agencies that could assist you in sticking it to that Slumlord… There must be *some* Housing-Commissioner with a geeky-Kid who would do anything for a Studio-“Tour”..? Or perhaps, whenever you happen to be doing the “Local” Publicity Junkets, a “mention” of a “certain” HELL-HOLE could be slipped in..? – You know, there’s nothing like a REAL “behind-the-scenes” VIDEO-doc on a “Day-in-the-Life-of-a-SciFi-Show-Producer”! – Better yet, use the place as a Location-Shoot!! And that way, you could write-off the Rent as a Business Expense and/or get the Studio to pay the it.
And then, there’s always SUB-letting to Nudists looking for a place with a “view”…
Even I feel kind of wistful reading your post, Joe. Please consider yourself and Akemi hugged and know I wish you the best, always. Also, give Bubba and Lulu a big hug and an extra head scratch for me. I love those little dogs. Sad to hear about Ivon, but like you say you’ll definitely hear from him again, and lots I’m sure. Plus, it may open up a whole new world for him, which is great. Lots of changes no question, but if there’s one thing for sure that life continues to throw at us, it’s change.
I hope you have a good and uneventful trip to TO, and with any luck once there in person you’ll be able to “convince” them that it’s in their best interest to let you out of that lease. 🙂
Let us know how things went once you get there, and how the dogs made out. You know how we worry! 🙂
Why do people mess with you? Do they truly not understand how they’re shooting themselves in the foot?
I hope you all have safe travels.
As for me I’m stuck in overtime land. Looks like the cyber shopping for the upcoming holiday season has already begun.
Safe travels!
I hope you all have a good flight. The landlord in TO may be (is) clueless, heads will roll. Do not mess with the Lord of Dark Matter!. I am just saying…
~~ Maybe Ivon can teach you his recipes so you wont be without next foot ball season. To make it up to you, he can cook for you while in TO.(sorry Ivon)
~~~And maybe there are some dressers from the set of Dark Matter that they will loan you to use for the time you are there. Maybe the set builder can whip you up some light weight ones. Some thing you can put together and take apart. Plastic crates, can stack, face to the front, How big is your closet space? Some hanging shelves? Just thinking… Hope you find a solution, you and Akemi are creative. And duct tape some sheets or newspaper to that window till you figure it out,,EEK!, The might make magnetic curtain rods, if those doorways (at the window) are metal. Give us the size dimensions, we can make you some pug curtains. Something fun for the neighbors to look at. Hope you all have a good day!!
heya….to continue on ponytail’s suggestions…
Really garish paper taped to blindless windows….makes for lovely exterior views. all in keeping with the property’s tenant/occupant requirements.
drape rags on the balcony railing, store junk/trash on the balcony. A nice ugly garbage can perhaps?
Really – so very sorry you and Akemi have to experience this.
Safe travels to you all.
Have a good trip, Joe. Hope the dogs do well. You might tell the landlords that the you’ve found the apartment is haunted and you have any number of paranormal TV shows that would like to film there for their upcoming season. Also, let them know you’re delighted you’ll be able to continue your studies of cimex lectularius after discovering some rare, new species residing there.
Seriously, hope things get better. Or not considering the material you’ll have for the blog will be pure gold.
Buon viaggio!
Since you’re in a hippie pad, nail bedsheets up for curtains. Use large nails. Looking forward to the impending reviews.
Have a safe trip.
That landlord/realtor is a dick. In today’s world, the internet can be one of your greatest assets in situations like these. I would be happy to assist in trolling them.
Sad news about Dominion. I had planned on starting to watch it. I really liked the film. My only hesitation was the fact that it aired on SyFy, and I knew it would probably be canceled just as I became interested. And as it turns out, I was justified in that hesitation.
The only exception to my no SyFy rule is of course, Dark Matter. They cancel that, Hell hath no fury like a SciFi nerd scorned.
So going forward, will you refer to Ivon as “Toronto Ivon”?
You and Ivon are both moving to Toronto. You’ll be there 9 months out of the year, and working together. Why so sad? I don’t understand.
Good luck, safe and uneventful travels, and {{{{HUGS}}}} to you, Akemi and the doggies.
I guess you are going to have to install blinds yourself. A bed sheet thumb tacked to the wall for the first night looks ghetto, but it gets the job done. Sorry you couldn’t get out of the lease.
Landlords can ask tenants to sign restrictive leases but the City of Toronto Landlord Tenant laws trump whatever was in the lease. Toronto’s tenant laws say you can get out of the lease anytime by giving notice. And you can take the landlord to court to get any deposit you’re owed back. http://www.sjto.gov.on.ca/ltb/faqs/#faq7
http://www.sjto.gov.on.ca/documents/ltb/Brochures/How%20a%20Tenant%20Can%20End%20Their%20Tenancy%20(EN).pdf?e821aa
Joe! Joe! shinyhula found something good about getting out of the lease on your crappy apartment! And even if you don’t want to go through the hassle of going to court to get your deposit back, you can get out of that pit.
@shinyhula: great job!
Just discovered Dark Matter on Netflix. Wonderful work. Kudos to your whole team. I can tell you’ve got much of the creative team back tigether. Have been missing my sci-fi since the end of the whole Stargate era. Hard to find find sci-fi I am comfortable watching with my younger kids…Dark Matter fills a void 🙂
Still hoping for a continuation of completion of the SGU storyline.
You go @Shinyhula !!
I agree with Chev to document everything upon arrival (and if you leave, upon departure). My sister and I rented this house once. We moved out and the landlord wouldn’t return our very large deposit (at the time in the 1980’s it was like $650 which was quite a bit). He produced pictures of the “damage” we caused moving out, which we absolutely DID NOT do. He also said we broke his hot tub, which we did not; however, we did not have any letters documenting our repeated calls to him that there was a problem with it while we were there. We had nothing to prove we didn’t so we had no recourse. That was a lot of money to have to say goodbye to.
This person has no idea what they are opening themselves up to if they don’t let you out of this place. God help them. Just be sure what you do is totally within your legal right to do. Don’t need to create a bigger headache for yourself.