Renoviction is a new housing buzzword, perhaps a buzz-saw word. It is a portmanteau word, a blend of renovation + eviction, a neological nightmare for British Columbia tenants. Renoviction is the act of evicting longtime tenants from their rental houses and apartments by moneybags landlords who announce huge renovation plans that require the emptying of apartments and homes to be renovated. Once out, the tenants are not allowed to renew their leases until they agree to monstrous rent increases, sometimes double what they paid before the renoviction.

Forty-seven years later, Mr. McFall and his surviving sister, Mary, 91, still share a second-floor suite, which is adorned with framed family photos and mementos. If evicted, the elderly siblings say they will likely have to go to a seniors home. So the tenants of the Seafield apartment building have banded together with the McFalls and refused to leave. They say they are victims of a new trend in B.C. — nicknamed "renoviction" — in which landlords evict tenants by announcing big renovation plans.

No argument. Geller is an articulate and polished presenter. But what you won’t hear him talk about is his ties to developers such as 'Renoviction' landlords Gordon Nelson Investments Inc. They have already mass evicted three West End apartment buildings and are in the process of planning their fourth.