At the time of a citizen’s eviction by a bailiff, Arrondissement de Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve took over her furniture and personal belongings.
The same day, this citizen was admitted to the hospital: she was, therefore, unable to deal with the recovery of her stored property. Near the end of the usual storage period, a social worker from the hospital contacted the borough to ask for an extension of this period. However, her message remained unanswered and the citizen’s property was destroyed.
During our investigation, it was impossible to determine accurately what really happened. The borough recognized, however, having received a voice mail message from the social worker.
It also agreed that there was reason to modify its procedure: from this moment on, every time a request is submitted in the days prior to the expiration of the storage period of an evicted person’s property, the borough immediately informs the storage facility not to dispose or destroy this property. This should prevent a reoccurrence of situations such as the plaintiff’s.
In the present case, the citizen claimed a financial compensation for the loss of her property: we put her in contact with the Bureau des réclamations (Claims Office) which, after analysis, offered compensation.
