A former flight school student in Pitt Meadows is refusing to leave his school’s dormitories, even though he withdrew from classes two and a half years ago.
Now, the owner and operators of Canadian Flight Centre have filed a petition in court to try and get rid of him.
According to court documents Saifeddin Rajab Falah Aldara’in signed a Student Accommodation Agreement to rent the suite from Canadian Flight Centre on or around June 24, 2021. However, Aldara’in withdrew from all classes at the school on July 2, that same year, but continues to occupy the suite to this date.
President and CEO of Canadian Flight Centre Peter Schlieck said they offer housing, so their students, who are often from outside the country, are not a burden on the system, especially given the current housing crisis.
However, he noted, “student housing is for our students.”
The dormitory is located in a house on 118 B Avenue in Pitt Meadows, close enough to the flight school so students can walk to their classes. Students pay $500 for shared room accommodation and between $700 to $800 for a private room.
Currently there are four students at the house, including Aldara’in, but chief flight instructor Anna Serbinenko said the situation has become a hindrance for the other students staying at the house.
Students currently studying and living in the house are doing what they came to Canada to do, noted Serbinenko.
“They don’t need this distraction.”
Not only that, Serbinenko claimed that Aldara’in, a foreign student from Jordan whom she estimates to be in his mid- to late-20s, has cordoned off a section of the house containing four rooms, including his, which they are now unable to rent out.
Court documents state Aldara’in has been uncooperative and aggressive towards employees and those representing the flight centre and, on various occasions, has exhibited hostile behaviour towards students, even trying to stop others from entering the dorms.
The petition says he has tampered with locks on two outdoor access doors, removing batteries to make the locks inoperable from the outside. He has also disputed payments like utility and cleaning fees.
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Although he is still paying for his room, he has been late on various occassions. And, said Serbinenko, he hasn’t been paying the full amount.
Serbinenko said they try to be flexible if a student or former student needs a couple of weeks or even months to find other accommodation.
“That’s fine, we can figure it out,” she said.
Aldara’in has 21 days following the date the petition was served to him to respond.
Schlieck and Serbinenko want Aldara’in to leave the premises no later than noon on a date set by the court at the hearing, removing all of his personal belongings.
If he does not comply by that date, Canadian Flight Centre will be able to file for a writ of possession, allowing the centre to dispose of any items left on the premises or in the dorm without liability.
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Aldara’in will be banned from the dorms and will have to provide a bank draft in an amount fixed by the court and payable to the law firm representing Canadian Flight Centre for the amount owing for the use of the dorms since July 2, 2021.
Canadian Flight Centre, the petition also stated, is entitled to its costs of the proceedings.
In a little more than a month Schlieck and Serbinenko are expecting students to arrive from their training facility in Kamloops and, Serbinenko said, they are hesitant to rent the rooms to them right now.
However, they are hopeful, now that they’ve filed a petition in the Supreme Court of British Columbia for Aldara’in’s removal, that the matter will be resolved soon.
The whole ordeal has been stressful.
“We are not full-time property managers. We fly. We are pilots,” noted Serbinenko.
