A Ndilo grandfather and his two young grandchildren are homeless after he says they were evicted from their home Friday morning by an NWT department of justice sheriff.
Lawrence Beaulieu has literally been driving around trying to get his grandkids out of the cold.
He says his niece had him evicted in a dispute over a contested will.
He explained to CKLB that the sheriff showed up at 10 o’clock this morning and told him he had 15 minutes to leave.
Beaulieu says he left with the clothes on his back and a few belongings including warm clothes for the kids.
Beaulieu says as far as he knows the dispute over the will is still before the courts.
That’s why he said he was so shocked when he was ordered to leave this morning.
CKLB reached out to the NWT Department of Justice, which oversees the sheriff’s department, to see what their policy is on evicting babies from a home in the winter.
“The Sheriff’s Office did carry out an eviction order at a residence in N’Dilo earlier today,” Richard Robertson Director, Policy and Planning Department of Justice said. “The eviction was ordered by the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories. The two Sheriff Officers who were dispatched to fulfill the eviction order did so in accordance to their duties.”
Robertson says, it should be noted that the respondent, in this case, had advance notice of the impending eviction.
“On February 21, 2020, the respondent was ordered by the Supreme Court to vacate the premises by March 6,” Robertson said. “The Sheriff’s Office had delivered notices of this order to the respondent at the residence in question. Following the respondent not having vacated the premises by March 6, the Supreme Court ordered the eviction.”
Roberston says with respect to evictions it is the practice of the Sheriff’s Office, as was done today, to carry them out as early in the day as possible to allow the evictee time to find alternative living arrangements.
“As you may be aware the evictee in this case does in fact have alternative accommodation,” Robertson concluded.
CKLB learned later in the day the Beaulieu took his grandchildren to a home in Behchoko.
he was upset though that he was going to be separated from them.
