Renters’ rights advocate's greatest role to date?

“I love my home and my neighborhood too much to just roll over and leave. The rent increase that the new owner demanded was simply illegal,” says Yates. The landlord asked for $3,500 a month, a jump from the current monthly rent of $2,350.

“Perhaps he hoped for ignorance or fear on our part, but we have a lease and we’re making sure we pay in full and on time.”

The rental dispute made headlines in a number of local and national newspapers and, to many, is representative of gentrification issues affecting multiple communities across the country.

The owner had threatened to treat the tenants as trespassers if they didn’t start paying the higher rent by August 1, yet so far things are at a stalemate.

“The good news is it’s now November and we’re still here, so I think the media attention helped. It suddenly made the process of eviction much more complicated for him,” he says.

“As for me, I didn’t know much about Ontario Tenant Law before, but I was suddenly forced to take a crash course.”

Playday Mayday launch

While the experience has been stressful, it hasn’t prevented Yates from continuing to create and pursue new projects. He is a former member of The Second City national touring company and a current performer and teacher with the Bad Dog Theatre Company.

He’s also appeared on Murdoch Mysteries and Saving Hope, among other recognizable TV productions.

The actor has proudly been associated with Uncalled For, a theatrical sketch comedy troupe, for the past 16 years. The troupe is currently preparing to launch a new show, Playday Mayday, about how to remain playful in adulthood.

“Nostalgia seems to only be about referencing old TV shows these days, but we’re trying to remind people what it was like to pretend to be an astronaut or a princess,” says Anders.

His natural playfulness is a big part of his for passion live performance. “I love it — especially in comedy,” he says.

“You know right away if it’s working or not, because you receive instant feedback. While with film, which I also enjoy, you don’t, and you may not be able to fix what’s wrong until it’s too late.”

Film production and art exploration

Making some really good short films is, also, what he remembers most fondly about his time as a student at Concordia.

“I had a great time at Concordia and saw communications as a good way for me to explore the arts in a practical, academic way. I took film production classes and I had the opportunity to bridge and explore a lot of different areas in my first year there,” says Yates.

“Had I known then what I know now, perhaps I would have focused more on film production, but communications certainly helped me with my writing, my comedy and my acting, so overall it was a good move.”

In the meantime, the rent dispute remains a daily worry that hovers over him like the Sword of Damocles.

“It’s been stressful,” he admits. “I’ve sought legal advice that has been reassuring, but it’s stressful not to know to what lengths the owner will go to.”

Yates hopes the dispute will be resolved without the need for them to go in front of a tribunal.

“It’s just an added thing to deal with while I’m trying to produce a play, go to auditions and generally just live my life,” says Anders. “My name and my face may have emerged in this story, and I appreciate it, but this is an issue that is affecting an entire community.

On the plus side, Anders reveals that this dispute has brought him and his neighbours even closer together.

“I feel more a part of this neighbourhood than I ever did before.”

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