Pubdate: Fri, 29 Aug 2014
Source: Vancouver 24hours (CN BC)
Copyright: 2014 Vancouver 24 hrs.
Contact: http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/letters
Website: http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3837
Author: Michael Mui
Page: 4

POT-SMOKING BUSINESSMAN AWARDED CASH DAMAGES AFTER BEING EVICTED

A man who filed a human rights complaint after he was kicked out of
his business for smoking pot too frequently has been awarded damages.

His former landlord was dinged for retaliating by preventing the man
from entering the property and threatening legal action unless the
tenant signed a liability waiver. According to the B. C. Human Rights
Tribunal decision, Taylor Steele had been operating an electronics
repair shop called WE Repair on West Broadway in Vancouver.

He's a medical marijuana user, and testified that he always carried
pot on him, and frequently went outside the building to an alleyway -
and later at his nearby parked car - to smoke.

"He testified that it works better than other drugs (to treat a car
accident-related injury), but that nothing helps him 100% except
narcotics," wrote tribunal member Norman Trerise.

Steele's neighbours, however, weren't pleased. One runs a stress
control program with young children as clients. Another has a
counselling business where some clients suffered from addiction issues
"and she was concerned that they might be triggered by the smell."

Steel e was evicted on March 12, 2012. Less than a month later, he was
locked out of the premise and had his belongings withheld - unless he
was "willing to sign off on a liability waiver."

The tribunal dismissed Steele's discrimination complaint for the pot,
but awarded him $3,500 in total for the landlord's "retaliation"
against the evicted tenant by way of withholding property and filing
legal action.
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MAP posted-by: Matt