The purchase of a historic Ottawa church destined to become an "embassy" for a group now affiliated with the Freedom Convoy fell through, according to documents obtained by CTV News.
St. Brigid's Church was conditionally sold to a group called the United Peoples of Canada on June 15, but as of August 12, according to property listing documents, the property was It says "returned to market".
The documents do not address the possibility that the conditions that could have resulted in the collapse of the deal were not met.
William Comer, director of United People of Canada, told CTV News he understands the deal is still valid.
"To our knowledge, no deal has failed," Comer said, adding that the property owner did not notify him of the change in sale.
12} CTV News reached out to both the property owner and the listing agent, but neither commented on the property's condition.Located 1.3 kilometers from the Capitol, the church has been on the market since July 2021, prior to the conditional sale, with a price tag of $5.95 million.
While trying to meet the requirements to purchase the church, United People of Canada rented the space. On Wednesday, bailiffs tried unsuccessfully to evict the group from the church after claiming they had not paid their rent. A notice was posted stating that the group's lease was terminated due to nonpayment of $10,000 in rent and "failure to provide proof of mortgage liability insurance." $5 million minimum. His second notice, posted on the door, said the group had violated the Ontario Heritage Act and had not obtained the necessary permits for construction under the Ontario Building Code.
Comer said in his Facebook post that eviction notices were "illegal."
"As you can see from the behavior of the property owners, they seem to want to stop doing business with us," Comer said.
One of the group's biggest financial backers, London, Ontario-based investment adviser Tony Kuzoclair, told CTV News that the United People of Canada He said it was a "lie" that he had not paid the rent on time.
"I have proof that I paid all the money. There was a set deadline for payment," he said, Cuzzocrea.
Komer told CTV News in June that the group plans to turn the church into an "embassy" that will serve as a community space.
"We seek to create a unique and inclusive space where people of different backgrounds and beliefs can engage in dialogue, engage in collaborative work, and have access to our community cafes and venue spaces. “The number of community conversations,” he said Komer.
Fellow United People of Canada Director Kimberly Wardhas confirmed that she is an advisor to 'Freedom Convoy' organizer Tamara Rich's partner Dwayne Rich. Ward was also outside an Ottawa courthouse to celebrate Tamara Rich's bail release on March 7, despite the group denying any connection to the occupation. } The ties to the Rich family and the group's presence in the church raised concern for the community group.
"We are concerned about their community connections, their purpose, and the establishment of this organization's headquarters in our community," said Sylvie Bigras of the Lowertown Community Association. said.
Using files from Jeremie Charron, Josh Pringle of CTV News and Andrew Pinsent of Newstalk 580 CFRA
