An Open Letter to Stop Rental Fraud in Nova Scotia
As a follow-up to the emails I’ve sent before, here is the initial CBC article on my story: https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6558561
And the initial CBC TV spot on my story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XAsjXm4E54.
And my full story: https://patriciacelan.medium.com/rental-fraud-in-nova-scotia-64f746dee0a2.
And my petition, which I’ve asked my MLA to bring forward at the next House sitting: https://www.change.org/p/end-rental-fraud-in-nova-scotia.
The lack of enforcement from Residential Tenancies on this issue is shocking – my squatters have been getting away with this behaviour for over ten years, robbing landlords without being prosecuted like robbers. They have a long history of never paying their ordered arrears; I can expect my new debt, completely undeserved, to never be restituted.
The lack of government interest in pursuing enforcement is concerning. Mr. Colton LeBlanc did not give a convincing message of planned action in the CBC article; it appears from the wording that nothing is being done, with no timeline for any action to begin.
The lack of public housing available for my squatters perpetuates the issue; if they had a place to go, they would get off my back.
And the fact that the police are minimizing this as a “tenancies matter”, are not interested in investigating this Bonnie & Clyde duo committing years of rental fraud, nor are they pursuing charges for the death threat I’ve received, all makes me want to leave this province immediately because criminals are not prosecuted here.
I plan to voice publicly that this province is not going to retain me as a doctor because this is not a safe province to buy investment properties, because the government is speaking vaguely with no solid plan of action on real issues, and because the police is not investigating criminals or protecting doctors from death threats.
Give me reasons to feel safe in Nova Scotia: give me enforcement against criminal rental fraudsters by taking into consideration my story and this email and take action. There is still time for change: if I see a tangible plan of action, enforcement of penalties against my squatters, and police interest in pursuing a fraud investigation, then I could be pleasantly surprised and stay in this province.
Patricia Celan, MD
Dalhousie Psychiatry Resident
To support Patricia’s goal of having her petition tabled in the Nova Scotia legislature by signing her petition End Rental Fraud in Nova Scotia at https://www.change.org/p/end-rental-fraud-in-nova-scotia