The owner of a vilified motel in downtown North Bay and the president of the Near North Landlords Association visit the Echo Essentials studio to share their perspective on handling 'trouble' tenants. Anthony Koziol, owner of the Villa in the 300-block of Main Street East, is vice-president of the NNLA, was named by a nearby business owner as part of the problem because he rents to people associated with criminal activity (fencing of stolen goods and drug dealing).

He was joined by Tricia Marshall, president of the NNLA, who said the long time-frame and cost of removing tenants isn't easy or cheap under the current system.

Koziol said it's a complicated matter, noting that the same people just move a little ways down the road or find another tenant willing to let them do business there. And he said raising rents to avoid marginalized people isn't the answer because it would merely leave more people on the street. It was a wide-ranging interview that provided more insight from another viewpoint.

Related news stories and opinions: https://www.baytoday.ca/local-news/zufelt-calls-out-owner-of-villa-apartments-9233638
https://www.baytoday.ca/local-news/dnssab-recognizes-no-perfect-location-for-247-hub-9272517

https://www.baytoday.ca/letters-to-the-editor/letter-social-service-agencies-council-police-perpetuate-downtown-problem-9250854

Timestamps:
0:00 Passion for the marginalized
4:38 DNSSAB Consultant didn’t consult
15:27 Voyageur Aviation advertisement
16:34 Near North Landlord Assoc. guests
19:15 Dysfunctional system
22:04 “I could never be a landlord”
26:16 “Not … profiteering scum sucking landlords”
31:56 “It doesn't work that way”
36:23 Human Rights Code
41:55 ‘Why don’t you jack up your rates?”
49:22 ‘NIMBY-ism’
51:24 ‘Nowhere to go’
54:58 ‘Biggest thing that has to happen’
57:18 ‘211 system’
1:01:20 Not like the police didn't know
1:06:45 Need for psychiatric care capacity
1:13:29 Podcast provides long-form platform