Laurentian University ends high-profile property fight with Sudbury couple for $20K
Newly released court documents show that a property dispute at Laurentian University was settled for $20,000 – an amount less than LU had been offered in the past for the land.
The agreement puts an end to the very public spat over the two-bedroom, two-bathroom home located next to the university on South Bay Road.
James Crispo and Dominique Ansell bought the house in 2016. Later, they found out part of the land (including a pool shed and part of their septic tank) encroached on LU’s property.
Repeated attempts to buy the land from LU failed, with the university insisting the couple remove the encroachments.
"The reasons were quite unclear, which (is) quite frustrating to us," Crispo told CTV News in 2017.
"They just said they don't propose resolving encroachments in this manner. However, that's all we got. It wasn't a matter of cost or terms. It was just a flat out no."
That led the couple to wage a very public campaign to try and force the university to settle. They launched a now-discontinued website to press their case, offered $25,000 to bail out the campus radio station CKLU if Laurentian sold them the land, and at one point put the house up for sale for $9 million.
But it wasn’t the public lobbying that ended the matter: it was Laurentian’s declaration of insolvency in February 2021.
As part of the process under the Canadian Companies’ Arrangement Act, LU needed to settle all legal disputes to emerge from insolvency.
That meant the battle with their neighbours over the property had to be settled.
“In 2018, the university commenced an action against the neighbours seeking a declaration that the neighbours have no title, right or interest in the university property,” the court transcript said.
“On July 11, 2022, LU and the neighbours entered into a settlement agreement to resolve outstanding issues.”
The deal needed approval from the court, as well as the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, LU’s primary lender for the CCAA proceedings.
Under the act, LU could get approval for divesting the land as long as it received “just compensation for the land,” the transcript said.
In the end, Ontario Superior Court Chief Justice G.B. Morawetz ruled that no one opposed the settlement and that it was better than the alternatives.
“LU is not aware of any opposition to the requested vesting order and no party has raised concern that if the vesting order is granted it would be inconsistent with planning principles,” Morawetz wrote, in a decision dated Jan. 25.
“In addition, in the absence of a vesting order being granted, LU and the neighbours would need to either (i) negotiate a new settlement or (ii) continue litigating the action. In either event, costs would continue to be incurred and the issues as between LU and the neighbours will persist.”
Read the full decision here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Parents of infant who died in wrong-way crash on Ontario's Hwy. 401 were in same vehicle
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
'What have we done?' Lawyer describes shock at possible role in Trump's 2016 victory
A lawyer who negotiated a pair of hush money deals at the centre of Donald Trump's criminal trial recalled Thursday his "gallows humor" reaction to Trump's 2016 election victory and the realization that his hidden-hand efforts might have contributed to the win.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
New scam targets Canada Carbon Rebate recipients
Fake text message and email campaigns trying to get money and information out of unsuspecting Canadian taxpayers have started circulating, just months after the federal government rebranded the carbon tax rebate the Canada Carbon Rebate.
Universities grapple with the complicated politics of campus encampments
Montreal police are facing pressure to move in and dismantle a pro-Palestinian encampment on McGill University campus on Thursday, as a growing number of universities across this country grapple with the tough decision of how to handle the protests.
Conservative MP says Chinese hacking attack targeted his personal email
A Conservative MP is challenging claims by House of Commons administration that a China-backed hacking attempt did not impact any members of Parliament, because the attack was on his personal email.
Loblaw leaders call criticism 'misguided,' say they aren't to blame for high food prices
Loblaw chairman Galen Weston and the company's new CEO are pushing back against critics who blame the grocery giant for soaring food prices, as a month-long boycott of the retailer gets underway.
Heavy police presence at McGill University as counter-protesters assemble opposite pro-Palestinian encampment
A heavy police presence was at McGill University on Thursday morning, as counter-protesters assembled opposite the pro-Palestinian encampment at the school.