The rebuilt Stone Soup, after much of it was torn away in an ongoing dispute between organizers, their landlord and the City of Nanaimo. (Spencer Sterritt/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Spencer Sterritt

Stone Soup

Popular free meal program loses eviction battle

Jun 17, 2019 | 11:37 AM

NANAIMO — In 13 days, roughly 150 homeless people in Nanaimo will be without a daily dinner after the free meal program they rely on is shut down.

The organizers of the Stone Soup kitchen, at 150 Nicol St., lost their eviction battle on Monday, June 17.

Doug and Tanya Hiltz, who live at the property and created the program in their backyard over the last year, now have until June 30 to vacate the property.

“Does anyone have a place to help us out? It’s our turn now,” Tanya Hiltz said, nearly crying and visibly frustrated by the situation after receiving the decision from the Residential Tenancy Branch arbitrator.

A one-month eviction notice was issued on March 29, 2019 by their landlord, giving them until the end of April to move out. It was sent after the City of Nanaimo visited Stone Soup and found it wasn’t up to code in several key ways.

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The only issue addressed in the decision was whether or not the they disputed the eviction notice within 10 days of receiving it. Under provincial rules, if the person receiving the notice doesn’t dispute it within 10 days, “the Tenant is presumed to accept the Notice and must move out of the rental unit.”

“The Tenant provided testimony that he did not dispute the Notice because he had paid his rent,” the decision said. “The Tenant also testified that because the Landlord did not provide any proof of the allegations, he did not dispute the One Month Notice.”

Even after reading the decision, Tanya Hiltz stood by her claim they should have been fine since they’d paid the rent up until the end of June.

Though the future is uncertain for Doug and Tanya, specifically how they’ll find a place to live their disability payments can afford in only 13 days, what’s clear is the Stone Soup program will grind to a halt.

Doug Hiltz said they’ll bring it down on the last day after a final supper.

“Overnight the homeless are going to retaliate,” he said. “Their food source is being cut off and these people we’re feeding are barred from the 710 Club and the Salvation Army.”

Stone Soup was estimated to feed roughly 150 people a night.

It was supported by former Nanaimo mayor Bill McKay, medical health officer Paul Hasselback and was frequently visited by political figures like Leonard Krog and Sheila Malcolmson.

By the end of June, it will have lasted roughly 15 months.

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit