VICTORIA -- Update:

In an email received June 16, 2020 ‘Design Build Services’ (DBS) reached out to CTV News Vancouver Island to provide comment on the story. DBS says it regrets being unable to provide information at the time, but would like to make it clear that it is not the registered owner and landlord for 801 Goldstream Ave. DBS says the property belongs to a numbered company held by one of its clients and that DBS was hired to develop the land. DBS adds that it did not hire the property management company, nor did it make the decision to evict the tenant or direct the property manager to do so.

Earlier:

A children’s consignment store in Langford has been struggling to survive since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the owner is facing an eviction.

Heidi Pitts is the owner of A-Z Consignment on Goldstream Avenue in Langford. She says she has been forced to pay full rent through the shutdown because the owner of the building decided not to sign on with the federal government’s Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) program.

The program allows landlords to tap into relief money to help small business owners with rent through the pandemic.

“I’ve never defaulted in any way,” said Pitts. “I’ve paid my bills and I thought that I should get treated better than I have been treated.”

In April, with the shutdown in full swing, Pitts reached out to rental company Pemberton Homes, which manages the building. She asked Pemberton Homes if a payment program to help cover her rent was available.

“They got back to me and said, ‘Yes, no problem,” said Pitts. “You can make payments for May, June and any other month.”

In May, Pitts discovered that the landlord would need to apply for the program, not the building’s tenant.

“So, I waited to pay May rent until that program rolled out, which was May 25,” said Pitts.

She then asked the rental company if her landlord would be applying for the program.

“Within a couple of days, I received a reply stating the landlord would not be participating in that program for us and that rent was due in full,” said Pitts.

That was on May 27. The email said rent was due in full on May 28. She did not pay rent in full that day and then on May 29 a bailiff showed up at her store’s door.

“He basically bullied me into paying the rent or he was going to take my key and lock me out of the store, so I did pay that,” said Pitts.

The next day, an eviction notice was left in her door saying she had one month to get out of the building. That same day, the provincial government launched an eviction ban for businesses whose landlords weren’t applying for the rent relief benefit.

“The next day I got another letter in my door saying they had revoked the initial 30-day eviction, but it will be reissued as soon as this emergency order ended,” said Pitts.

Today, Premier John Horgan added his voice to the issue saying he will be working with the federal government to protect small businesses from evictions related to the pandemic.

“I would say to those who are renting space if you’ve got a tenant right now, I don’t know why you would want to remove them,” said Horgan.

As for Pitts, she knows the writing is on the wall and needs to find a new location.

“I would love to be able to move into another space in this community, that’s my dream,” said Pitts. “I’m hoping if anyone out there has a space for lease I would love to hear from you. Please contact me.”