Toronto Police storm apartment during single dad’s eviction

Toronto, Canada – Two young children and their single father who were facing eviction from their Toronto home says dozens of police officers stormed into his apartment on Good Friday, the day before the provincial government enacted a province-wide shutdown.

Alex, like others suffering the effects of the pandemic lockdown the father of a one-year-old baby and six-year-old child, said he had fallen behind on rent for his apartment unit at 33 Gabian Way, Toronto.

The father stated that he made a verbal agreement with his landlord to have the arrears ready to be paid by the end of March, but when he managed to collect the amount by the due date, the Sheriff’s Office knocked on his door to evict him.

Alex was removed from the home with his two children.

On Good Friday, he was allowed to return for his possessions, but instead of doing so, along with community members, he pleaded with his landlord to honour their payment arrangement and stop the eviction and that’s when police showed up.

Alex said, “I had to take a stand to defend my children. Matters between tenants and their landlords are civil matters. Any police force should not get involved in matters that are not criminal.”

“There’s no justification to sending 26 cruisers to evict a single peaceful man, and his two children. That is inhumane.”

A video of the incident, shared widely on social media, shows more than 20 police cruisers parked outside the apartment building –

The video shows officers forcing themselves through the locked door of Alex’s home. The officers can be seen asking community members to clear the area, and Nithiananthan said police shoved him and others to get out of the way.