“The water gun brigade has to stop,” Patrick Macdonald said outside an Ottawa courthouse Friday after a hearing on efforts to evict the United People of Canada from St. Brigid in Lowertown. McDonald is seeking a court order to force the group’s eviction. He says they have failed to pay $100,000 as part of a conditional sale of the church, owe $10,000 in rent and have breached heritage rules. He also said members of the group prevented other tenants from accessing parking at the property. Judge Sally Gomery adjourned the matter until September 19. But he ordered TUPOC members not to obstruct the bailiff who posted the eviction notice on the door last month, not to harass other tenants or their guests and to allow people with parking rights to use them. Friday was the first time McDonald’s spoke to reporters since the team moved into the church earlier this year. He bought the property in 2007, when it was deconsecrated, and agreed to sell it to TUPOC for nearly $6 million earlier this year. “I have a lot of tenants down there who have been harassed, which I hope is the case today with the judge’s ruling and directive that they stop their harassment,” he said. Members of the group have sprayed people with water guns and threatened to arrest anyone who comes onto the property. But William Komer, a TUPOC board member, denied the group’s members were harassing people and said they plan to stay. “It’s an order to basically do what every person should be doing anyway, which is not to harass people, which we didn’t do, and also not to be harassed by property owners,” Comer said. “We’ll stay there.” McDonald said he was concerned about TUPOC’s behavior, but group members told him they would arrest him if he set foot on the property. “I am not allowed to enter the site because Mr. Komer and his compatriots have said that they will arrest me if I go near the site. As an owner, I find it amazing.” McDonald’s lawyer says that by the September 19th hearing, there will be two reasons to argue that TUPOC should be evicted: their inability to pay rent, as well as the end of the 30-day waiting period after the purchase is terminated group. and sale agreement. This waiting period ends on September 10th. A bailiff is expected to serve the group with a second eviction notice. Komer was represented at Friday’s hearing. The team’s lawyer was not present. McDonald said while he hoped for a resolution on the matter Friday, he was willing to wait. “I expect in a couple of weeks or so, a month or so, we’ll have a resolution, and I hope it will be a very positive resolution,” he said. “The purchase agreement is completed and terminated.” – with files from Jeremie Charron. CTV News Ottawa
