Octogenarian avoids eviction from Montreal home of 35 years

An 82-year-old photographer who has been living in the sameRosemont-Petite-Patrieapartment for 35years will be able to stay a little longer, having successfully fought an eviction notice.

PierinoDiTonnowas served with the notice during a hospital stay in January. The ownerof his building, a trust whichalso owns theMilanogrocery store on St-Laurent Boulevard, says itwants to subdivide the property.

• Octogenarian fights eviction from Petite-Patrie home of manyyears

DiTonnohas been living in the apartment since 1981 and challenged the eviction notice with the help of theComit logement de la Petite-Patrie, a local tenants' advocacygroup.

In a decision handed down earlier this month, Quebec's housing authority, theRgie du logement,ruled the notice targetingDiTonno was invalid.

A trust in the nameAngelina Zaurrini, which was seekingDiTonno's eviction, had failed to respect rules governing the timelines of evictions, theRgie said in its decision.

It also found that the person who signed the notice Mario Zaurriniwas not authorized to speak on behalf of the trust.

While theComitlogementde laPetite-Patriecelebrated the ruling, they also cautioned the reprieve may be shortlived. They said theAngelinaZaurrini trust has already signaled its intention to issue another eviction notice next year.

The housing group asked its supporters to continue its boycott ofMilano, launched as part of itscampaign to spare DiTonnoand two other tenants in the building frombeing evicted.