Motto:

“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” - MLK Jr

I started this site on February 7, 2014 by writing:

"On January 2, 2014, I moved into an apartment at 28 Balmoral Avenue, in Toronto (close to St. Clair and Yonge), to work on a few personal projects and also to help an acquaintance get out of a lease, which he transferred to me. In my wildest dreams I had not imagined that a month later, that is today, February 7, I'd be calling the Police after the superintendent James (of last name unknown) has attempted to enter my apartment against my will.

This is a cautionary tale for anyone who might think that larger or medium-scale Landlords in Toronto are observant of la

My power (electricity) has just been disconnected, so I'll save this before it shuts down!"

I had to stop when my power was cut, out of fear that my laptop battery will run out before I have a chance to save and publish. I will continue to tell my story here for several reasons:

• Writing is therapeutic. Telling this story of abuse helps me get it off my chest and move on.

• I need to post somewhere evidence of abuse before it is lost, stolen or destroyed.

• Because of all these delays, I am about to miss very important deadlines. I'm working hard to catch up, but in the event that I don't, I will have to explain to those I have given my word to what has happened and why. This should help with that.

• There does not seem to be much information regarding sublets, assignments and what happens when Landlords abuse their power. People in my situation could and should better inform themselves of the law and learn from others' mistakes.

I am not a lawyer and nothing here constitutes legal advice. I am simply telling my story. Even if I were any kind of licensed professional, I would most likely be prohibited by my code of ethics and / or insurance terms to provide legal advice over the web (see Resources for that). This is also work in progress. In a first phase, I am simply telling a story as quickly and clearly as I can, while memories are still fresh. Mistakes are bound to appear, so until the word "Beta" is removed, please take everything as a "draft" or apocryphal story whose characters may or may not be real. I will then correct it based on my evidence (which I have yet to review with a lawyer). As such, the information here is not definitive at least until this message is removed.

February 14 update: My electricity has been restored after more than a week, on Valentine's Day. I've decided to leave this here and expand upon it as a cautionary tale for anybody who might find themselves in my situation - i.e., contemplating a lease assignment or a sublet, having a dispute with their landlord in Ontario or simply living in one of Jack Steinman's rental units. In the sidebar menu you can find more about the incredible harassment I had to endure, mostly through the superintendent James, the agreement about Internet and how it was broken by the Lessee, Francois Deribere, my quick notes on the law governing these business relationships, more information about my application to the Landlord and Tenant Board and how it went, a map of the area and notes about the neighbourhood, what are the agencies / organizations you may contact during an emergency such as intentional and arbitrary power cut-off or home invasion and how they operate. This site should be considered work in progress and is updated only time-permitting.