Social
Justice
Advocate
Hi, I'm Leah
Between 2021 and 2024, I ran the Fresh Food Weekly food security program. This program delivered half-a-million dollars-worth of fresh food to +8,000 low-income residents throughout the City of Barrie and the Township of Innisfil. Since I couldn't afford a lawyer, I wrote my own governing documents and received charitable status in July 2022. Between July 2022 and March 2024, I personally raised +$195K in monetary donations. This works out to a little more than $10K raised each month for 19 consecutive months.
I've been living in public housing in Barrie, Ontario since 2009, under the ownership of the Barrie Municipal Non-Profit Housing Corporation (BMNPHC), also known as Barrie Housing.
​
​When I started running the Fresh Food Weekly program, I started seeing a lot of patterns emerge among rent-geared-to-income (RGI) tenants with Special Priority Status. From what I understand, I'm currently not allowed to talk about the patterns of behaviour by Barrie Housing that I've witnessed since at least 2019.
​
On October 30, 2024, the Honourable Justice V.V. Christie ordered me to stop defaming Barrie Housing until I can prove my claims against them. ​
On November 5, 2024, Justice V.V. Christie ordered me to pay Barrie Housing $7,500.00 even though Barrie Housing stole from me and still owes me money. This statement isn't defamatory because the evidence of Barrie Housing's overcharges is posted below. Apparently I'm the one who's being unreasonable. This entire thing is so insane. Barrie Housing also told me they intend to strike my defence and counterclaim once I don't pay their $7,500.00 indemnity costs. ​i
HRTO Matter 1: Benefit Providers
HRTO Matter 2: Housing Services
Popular documents
Judge's Endorsement Order #1
October 30, 2024
Judge's Endorsement Order #2
November 5, 2024
Judge's Endorsement Order #3
November 12, 2024
Email to Minister of Housing
November 5, 2024
Minister's Response
November 15, 2024
Second Email to Minister of Housing
November 15, 2024
Letter of Requests to County
November 5, 2024
Email to MP Brad Vis
November 26, 2024
Barrie Housing Evictions & Deaths Data
Relevant documents
Infographic
November 24, 2024
Raw Data From Barrie Housing
November 24, 2024
Data Table
November 24, 2024
This data was acquired through a Municipal Freedom of Information Protection Privacy (MFIPPA) request I submitted to the County of Simcoe in October 2024.
Even though I requested data for each month of 2020, no data from 2020 was provided. Additionally, some months of data throughout 2021 and 2024 were not included either.
Data for October to December 2024 did not exist at the time of this MFIPPA request.
This data shows that Barrie Housing segregates its most vulnerable tenants into three out of their 14 housing projects. Additionally, this data reveals that 43% of tenant deaths occur between July and September, which are the hottest months of the year.
I suspect they do this so they don't have to invest as much money into maintaining these three properties because they believe these tenants don't deserve it. The consequence of this disinvestment is increased mortality rates for tenants who reside at these three locations. This is discrimination at its worst.
Notice of Motion for Leave to Appeal
Notice of Motion for Leave to Appeal
I'm hoping to appeal Justice V.V. Christie's decision through the Divisional Court in Toronto. The motion for leave to appeal will be heard in writing by a panel of three judges during the week of January 20, 2025.
Relevant documents
Notice of Motion For Leave to Appeal
November 15, 2024
Affidavit of Leah Dyck
November 15, 2024
Confirmation of Factum & Motion Record Filed
November 22, 2024
Factum of the Appellant
November 22, 2024
Motion Record
November 22, 2024
I redacted some parts of the Motion Record because they contain personal information about others (yes, I did have permission to use this evidence, but want to keep these people out of this lawsuit as much as possible).
Affidavit of Leah Dyck
November 21, 2024
Fresh Evidence Tendered by the Appellant
November 21, 2024
I'm requesting leave to appeal because Justice V.V. Christie didn't read anything I submitted, nor did she hear anything I said to her. The main issue is that Barrie Housing is overcharging their RGI tenants' rent for at least two reasons:
1. The Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) was paying my rent directly to Barrie Housing, on-and-off for seven years and no one bothered to tell me, so I was also paying my rent.
2. During the pandemic, there was a period of six to eight months when no one was allowed to physically go to work. During this period, everyone in receipt of any social assistance benefit automatically received the maximum amount possible, even though they weren't eligible. This money was automatically deposited into beneficiaries bank accounts. Now we're paying it back slowly each month (this isn't the problem). Barrie Housing's CEO Mary-Anne Denny-Lusk said in one of her affidavits that this resulted in a rental overpayment:
Contradictions in Mary-Anne's Affidavit
November 18, 2024
Evidence of Overpayments
Through an MFIPPA request, I obtained the list of payments ODSP made directly to Barrie Housing since 2015. This shows that Barrie Overcharged me around $5,000.00. This doesn't include any overpayments that resulted from the increased social assistance I'm now paying back slowly each month.
Despite being told by Barrie Housing that they'd provide me with a financial breakdown of the overpayment, and despite asking them for this breakdown +10 times now, they refuse.
Despite telling Justice V.V. Christie this and showing her various MFIPPA requests, she agreed with Barrie Housing's lawyer that I did absolutely nothing to verify my allegations.
Relevant documents
Tenant Ledger
August 8, 2024
Leah's Payments
October 31, 2024
ODSP Ledger
October 31, 2024
Leah's Version Tenant Ledger
October 31, 2024
Ledger Notes
October 31, 2024
Evidence of Overpayments
Leah's Version Tenant Ledger
November 13, 2024
Response to Request to Admit
November 14, 2024
Notice of Motion to Dismiss
Notice of Motion to Dismiss
I'm also hoping to have the defamation action launched against me by Barrie Housing dismissed under rule 137.1 of the Courts of Justice Act (CJA). The hearing date is currently set for February 18, 2025, but I've requested an urgent hearing date for this motion to be heard.
Relevant documents
Notice of Motion to Dismiss
November 29, 2024
Affidavit of Leah Dyck
November 29, 2024
Factum of the Defendant
December 3, 2024
Motion Record of the Defendant
December 3, 2024
I've redacted some parts of the Motion Record and removed some pages because they contain personal details of innocent bystanders.
Derivative Action
On Saturday, November 30, 2024, I delivered by email my letter of notice of my intent to prosecute Barrie Housing if they don't bring a derivative action against themselves by December 15, 2024.
Relevant documents
Letter of Notice of Intent to Prosecute
November 30, 2024
Derivative Action
Proposed Policy Changes
Inquiry For Special Program Designation
October 22, 2024
Achieving Population Household Food Security
September 2024
Feeding Barrie's +30K Starving Residents
June 2024
Breaking Chains of Oppression
July 21, 2024
Researching the Social Housing Duopoly
August 2024
A Plan Forward
June 26, 2024
A National Food Systems Plan
April 2024
Research Study Proposal
April 1, 2024
Charitable Registration Number: 77364 5148 RR0001