National

B.C. tenants ordered to pay $500,000 after fire

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 16 Jan, 2023 02:01 PM

VANCOUVER - Two Vancouver tenants have been ordered to pay more than $500,000 following a November 2017 apartment fire that a judge ruled was "foreseeable."

B.C. Supreme Court Justice Matthew Kirchner ruled Angela Chou created a risk of harm and fire by keeping her apartment "in a near-hoarding state" with densely packed items covering most of the floor space.

Chou and her former partner Danny Chen, who was not living there but was still listed as a tenant, have been ordered to pay the Langara Gardens apartment building more than $512,000 for damages caused by the fire.

The fire spread to other apartments, and the court ruled Chou will also pay $56,000 to Langara Gardens for the rent lost while 10 units were repaired.

A fire investigator testified that the blaze started when household goods in the unit, likely a box or a pillowcase, made contact with a halogen bulb when Chou was momentarily out of the room.

Kirchner's ruling, released online Friday, says Chou created the "unreasonable risk of harm," and risk of fire in particular, because of the stacked, combustible material kept in her apartment.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Trevali exec, contractor convicted in Burkina Faso

Perkoa mine manager Hein Frey, who is South African and worked for Trevali, received a 24-month suspended sentence. Daryl Christensen, who is South African and a manager with Trevali's contractor Byrnecut, received a 12-month suspended sentence.

Trevali exec, contractor convicted in Burkina Faso

Groundbreaking ceremony for new Newton Community Centre   

The initial construction of the Newton Community Centre will include a 10-lane 50-metre swimming pool, leisure pool, hot tubs, sauna and steam room, fitness centre, licensed childcare and multi-purpose spaces. A future phase of development is anticipated to include a library, multipurpose gymnasium and culture amenities.

Groundbreaking ceremony for new Newton Community Centre   

Boosting GST rebate appropriate: experts

After months of mounting political pressure from the NDP to help low- and modest-income Canadians facing a rising cost of living, the federal government officially announced on Tuesday it will double the GST rebate for six months. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also announced the federal government will expand eligibility for the one-time top-up of $500 for the Canada Housing Benefit available to renters.

Boosting GST rebate appropriate: experts

Long lineup in London as queen lies in state

Equipped with sleeping bags, books and backpacks of food, they formed a queue that was nearly four kilometres long as of 6 p.m. local time. With Westminster Palace silhouetted across the river, people waited patiently as the line wound its way past the London Eye and across Lambeth Bridge.

Long lineup in London as queen lies in state

Northeast B.C., blaze scanned to confirm perimeter

The B.C. Wildfire Service says the scan was done late Tuesday. It will also be used to identify hot spots on the east flank of the 287-square kilometre wildfire, nearest to the W.A.C. Bennet Dam and the evacuated community of Hudson's Hope.

Northeast B.C., blaze scanned to confirm perimeter

Man fatally shot in Burnaby, B.C., attack

A statement from Burnaby RCMP says the attack happened just after 11 p.m. Tuesday along a busy stretch of Hastings Street near Confederation Park. The unnamed victim died at the scene.