Latest news with #ArnoldBennett
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Montreal's Housing Hotline fundraising to keep decades-old service running
Arnold Bennett wants to be there for tenants in trouble and is fundraising to keep the Montreal Housing Hotline connected. Moving day is just a month away for Quebecers, and Arnold Bennett wants to be there for tenants in trouble. He's been running the Montreal Housing Hotline since the 1970s. 'People call with all kinds of questions. We can do advocacy in the sense of steering them in the right direction and proposing strategies and referring them to lawyers and other things that the rental board will not do,' said Bennett. He says he about 30 calls per day, and the hotline is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday. All expenses are paid out of his own pocket, and now he's asking the community for help. Earlier this week, Bennett set up a GoFundMe hoping it will help cover some of the costs – which include phone and internet bills, electricity, technical support and a few staff members. It's also one of the few resources for anglophones in Quebec. The province is in the throes of a housing crunch, and Bennett is no stranger to housing policy. He says legislation has had some major improvements since the he started a housing clinic in the '80s. He was among those who fought for bans on condo conversions and pushed back against renovictions. Bennett Arnold Bennett wants to be there for tenants in trouble and is fundraising to keep the Montreal Housing Hotline connected. (Swidda Rassy/CTV) He remembers when rent increases between 12 and 30 per cent were allowed, 'and it had extremely serious effects on people.' Now he says politicians are rolling protections back. 'The right of tenants to be able to transfer or sign a lease was undermined by the current government, causing a serious problem in terms of being able to avoid discrimination in housing,' he said. 'The last three years got very bad, and that's combined with another cyclical problem, a housing shortage. And that housing shortage means that the door is open to gouging and units aren't available.' The problem isn't just hitting low-income families – it's extended well into the middle class. 'Everybody's having problems,' said Bennett. 'There's never enough services … Everybody's short-staffed and there's time constraints.' And Bennett isn't just getting calls from Montrealers. He says people from Laval, Quebec City and the townships reach out because 'there was nothing where they were, especially if they were anglophones or allophones.' Bob Jones Bob Jones was one of Arnold Bennett's first hires for his housing hotline. He calls Bennett a 'guiding light' for tenants. (Swidda Rassy/CTV) Bob Jones remembers when he first started volunteering with Bennett in the late '80s. A friend of his needed help with a repossession case, but Bennett was seeing hundreds of people every week. So, Jones decided to volunteer. Three months later he was one of Bennett's first hires. He remembers visiting tenants who had issues with their landlords who cut off their electricity and calling the police. 'We'd say, there's a theft of services here. Sometimes, we'd have to explain the process to the police, because they weren't that knowledgeable in rental law, and we tried to get the problem solved,' Jones told CTV News. 'Sometimes it involved sitting down, writing a letter. Sometimes it involved calling the landlord and seeing if they could fix it.' He says Bennett's dedication is needed. Even on weekends, Bennett will sometimes keep the phone line open. Jones calls him a 'guiding light' at a time where rents are skyrocketing, and people are facing evictions and false repossessions. 'If something doesn't happen soon, there'll be more people homeless on the streets than able to live in their apartments,' said Jones. 'Because right now for NDG, the average rent for three and a half is $1,300 that is unaffordable for most people working minimum wage or even two jobs at minimum wage … and some tenants don't know their rights.' Though he's hoping the community will have his back, Bennett says he's prepared to keep going 'hand to mouth.' Nothing will stop him from being there for tenants. 'Retire? You mean, when they carry me out on a stretcher. It'll have to be involuntary,' he said. With files from CTV News Montreal's Swidda Rassy
CBC
3 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Founder of Montreal's Housing Hotline seeks help to keep decades-long service running
Social Sharing Reminiscing with a chuckle, Arnold Bennett describes his younger self as "one of those student radicals back in the day." Bennett first wrote an article about tenants' rights in 1969 for the McGill Daily, one of the university's campus newspapers. Within a few years, he had established himself as a go-to resource on the issue of renters' rights in Quebec, going door-to-door and encouraging tenants to get together and speak up against housing injustices. In 1974, he launched the Housing Hotline — a phone service that helps frustrated tenants, and some landlords — navigate disputes. Decades later, however, Bennett is seeking help to avoid shutting it down. There were much fewer housing advocacy groups then there are now and services in English were limited, Bennett recalls, but he's adamant that his hotline still helps address a major need. Fighting for your rights, he says, involves more than just knowing the law. "People still need interpretation. They need to be pointed strategically in certain directions. It's not just a matter of knowing what the rules are," Bennett said. "You have to know what's the best approach that you should use in dealing with a certain landlord or a certain problem, how to organize with your neighbours, how to use the city inspectors." WATCH | Here are your options if your landlord raises your rent: Landlord raising your rent? Here are your rights in Quebec 55 years ago Duration 2:18 For much of the last 50 years or so, Bennett has funded the hotline out of pocket, using his revenue from a business he used to run. He's now raising funds to help cover basic expenses like a landline, a cellphone or internet access. "I have fees for certain accounting services for reports that I have to submit to the government," he said. "Even before you start talking about paying for an assistant, or anything like that — it adds up." In addition to the hotline, Bennett ran a housing clinic from 1981 up until 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced such in-person activities to shut down. The free clinics were attended by housing lawyers and legal assistants who could offer legal advice and represent tenants at the housing tribunal. Bennett also served as a Montreal city councillor during the 1970s and 80s. 'A major loss' if hotline shuts down Bob Jones, a resident of Montreal's Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood, remembers walking into the housing clinic in 1988 with a friend who was getting evicted from his home. He described the clinic that day as "utter chaos," with 80 to 100 people waiting in line to see the clinic's staff to get advice. Jones, who had just left a job, offered to volunteer at the clinic, and he eventually spent 20 years working for or with Bennett. "Some of us would actually go with them to the [housing tribunal] and we'd prepare their cases, keep them calm," he said. "We weren't allowed to talk or plead but we had already prepared them beforehand so that they knew what to say and when to say it." Marvin Rotrand, a former Montreal city councillor, says he met Bennett just before the 1982 municipal elections. He said the tenants' rights advocate's ability to provide "effective service in English" is something a lot of the newer housing groups still fail to provide today. "A lot of people turn to Arnold," Rotrand said. "Clearly, it would be a major loss in services if the Housing Hotline had to close." Bennett is confident the hotline will remain, even if the service isn't what it once was. "They'll have to carry me out on a stretcher," he said laughing. WATCH | Tips on how to handle an eviction notice: Got an eviction notice? Here's what to do 1 year ago Duration 1:00 Eviction and repossession notices in Quebec are often issued in late December, but tenants have options if they want to contest them.
Montreal Gazette
5 days ago
- Business
- Montreal Gazette
Veteran Montreal housing advocate fights to keep hotline alive
By Longtime Montreal housing advocate Arnold Bennett is seeking public aid to save the tenants' rights hotline he's run for 45 years. Over nearly half a century, Bennett has been fielding questions from renters and homeowners facing evictions, rent increases, unsafe conditions or excessive renovation bills. Bennett, or one of his employees, would inform them of their legal rights and how to defend themselves before Quebec's tenants tribunal, often referring them to organizations or lawyers who could help. Once operated by multiple staff and supported by pro-bono housing lawyers and paralegals, Bennett has been manning and paying for the phone line by himself for decades. 'Arnold, figuratively and literally, wrote the book on tenants' rights in Quebec,' said Sharon Sweeney, a project manager for the NDG Community Council non-profit organization. 'He's pretty quick — it takes him no time to process what's happening and give an efficient response.' The N.D.G. organization refers clients to him so often members know his number by heart, Sweeney said. The council calls him when they're dealing with complex cases that require deep background knowledge. He also counsels fledgling housing rights' groups creating their own services to aid renters. Dwindling funds forced Bennett to launch a GoFundMe page Friday titled Help Keep the Arnold Bennett Housing Hotline Running! with an initial goal of $5,000. With income from the translation work he does on the side diminishing in recent years, Bennett said he needs more funds to keep the line operating Monday to Friday from 9 to 5. There are many tenant organizations on the island of Montreal providing good services, Bennett said, but many don't work in English, or don't have an information line available five days a week. 'I'm still doing it because it's necessary,' said the 73-year-old Bennett, who wrote his first tenants' rights article as a teenager in 1969. 'I'll retire when they carry me out on a stretcher.' For 40 years, Bennett ran free weekend clinics attended by housing lawyers and legal assistants who could help write letters, offer legal advice and represent tenants at the housing tribunal, sometimes free of charge. Government funding helped to pay for extra employees to staff the hotline in the 1990s, but regulations requiring new staffers be hired every few months to replace experienced ones were untenable, Bennett said. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many support workers and a core group of volunteers who had helped for years had to be let go. They found other jobs and were no longer available once the pandemic was over. The weekend clinics ended. Bennett, who served as a city councillor for three terms in the 1970s and '80s, kept the hotline going on his own. In between stints as a councillor, he worked at community organizations, including the NDG Community Council and the former NDG Tenants' Association. He recalls noticing the organizations weren't getting enough phone calls, so he started going to the media. 'Suddenly, we got flooded,' he said. 'We were getting a couple of hundred calls a day at one point.' They lobbied against condominium conversions that were diminishing rental housing stocks, and fought to tighten loopholes in the system so tenants would get better protections, particularly during housing crises. These days, most of the calls are from tenants who can't shoulder rising rents. Quebec's housing tribunal released its 2025 guidelines in January, suggesting average increases of 5.9 per cent for tenants, the steepest hikes in decades. 'The rent increases are unaffordable — even if they're legitimate, as in legal,' Bennett said. 'For people to get whacked like this every year when they're already at the borderline on their incomes, they can't take it anymore.'
Daily Mirror
10-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Foodies flock to 12-Plate Thai feast deal with fizz and 5-star stay
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more The Thai restaurant serves "amazing food" (Image: Crazy Bear) The five-star Crazy Bear Hotel, known for its bold interior design and upscale atmosphere, offers guests a unique experience when it comes to hospitality. Thanks to a new deal from Wowcher, guests can also enjoy a twelve-plate dining experience at the Beaconsfield hotel. The Thai sharing menu has been curated to highlight a fusion of Asian flavours. Guests can choose between a classic or vegetarian selection, both featuring a carefully balanced array of dishes. The deal also includes an overnight stay, a glass of Lanson Le Black Champagne and access to the bar and lounge areas. Saving up to 52% on a full price stay, the Wowcher Crazy Bear experience with meal is now £195 for two. READ MORE: 'Comfortable' linen trousers from GAP are a must-have for easy, breezy summer style READ MORE: Save 15% on Les Mills home workout bundles that buyers are giving 'two thumbs up' Food fans who have already tried the 12-plate sharing menu have left plenty of good reviews, with one delighted diner saying: "Amazing food! We had the 12 plate set menu and the food tasted amazing and there was so much that we couldn't eat it all! Highly recommend" Another added: "Amazing food, service and a lovely restaurant. Highly recommend the 12 plate set menu." While one guest noted that the food felt "overpriced for what is on offer," the Wowcher deal is good value, bringing the cost of a 12-plate dinner, champagne and a five-star stay to under £99 per person. Given that dinner alone is typically £50 per head, the package deal offers substantial savings. The Thai dining experience is only available at The Crazy Bear Hotel in Beaconsfield. Opened in 2008 to spectacular international reviews including Conde Nast's Red Hot List for best new hotels in the world, the former fifteenth-century coaching inn has been transformed with individually styled rooms and bespoke furnishings. A lavish dining experience awaits (Image: Crazy Bear) With an outdoor swimming pool, an opulent bar and two restaurants, Crazy Bear Beaconsfield offers luxury and flamboyance in a traditional setting, less than 30 minutes by train from London Marylebone. Guests who aren't keen on the Thai menu can opt for a three-course English menu instead. Outside of the Crazy Bear, many other fine dining establishments like to tempt diners with a tasting menu. A Five Course Tasting Menu for Two at Gordon Ramsay's Savoy Grill, for example, can be purchased for £260 from Serving up classic British and French dishes in elegant surroundings, the offer features dishes like Arnold Bennett soufflé with smoked haddock and cheddar cheese and Beef Wellington. Other alternatives include a Italian Five Course Tasting Menu for Two at Piazza Italiana famous for its authentic menu from Virgin Experience Days, or a Eight Course Taster of African Cuisine with 32% off at Groupon. Both deals can be purchased in advance and booked when convenient. For anyone looking for a five-star stay, is offering a Two Night Country Hotel Stay for two from £199. Cheaper than the Crazy Bear experience, this deal does not include food. Guests can also choose to stay at the original Crazy Bear in Stadhampton near Oxford which has been entertaining guests since its creation in 1993. Famous for its eclectic design and award-winning dining, the five-star hotel promises to offer guests 'an exclusive Thai dining experience.' The opulent bedrooms are individually designed (Image: Crazy Bear) Visitors who have stayed at the Crazy Bear hotels, have left plenty of five-star reviews on the Tripadvisor. One person who stayed at the Stadhampton location described it as "An absolute treat" adding "What a special treat for my husband and I. The best way we could ever think of to celebrate his 50th birthday. A stunning hotel and such quirky and beautiful grounds." Another who enjoyed a stay at the Beaconsfield Bear was also impressed, saying "Stunning hotel. Wow! What a place to stay. Absolutely beautiful. The decor is off the scale." Sadly not every visitor was quite so impressed. One guest who left a three star review that said: "The hotel is quite nice but not as nice as it thinks it is. Friendly staff. Rooms are kind of luxury depending on your taste but a bit too dark for my liking." Overall, guests seem to be impressed with the food and the Crazy Bear experience. One five-star review summed it up saying: "Incredible getaway if looking for something luxurious with good food and wine." How to book the Wowcher Crazy Bear deal: Add a voucher to your basket - one voucher is for two adults (minimum age of 18) Complete the transaction Wait to receive an email with a code to redeem Contact the merchant to book a stay The deal runs until August 31, 2025 and booking must be made before the end of October. You can find full terms and conditions here.
