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Burnaby condo owners fined for 'unacceptable' behaviour

A couple accused of screaming bigoted and obscene taunts at their neighbours and smearing dog feces on doors in their Burnaby condo complex have been ordered to fork over thousands of dollars in unpaid strata fines.
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The judge described the behaviour of Barry Linden and Ronald Thibodeau as "unacceptable," and ordered them to pay $3,400 in outstanding fines for their behaviour. They will also have to pay the strata's legal costs.

A couple accused of screaming bigoted and obscene taunts at their neighbours and smearing dog feces on doors in their Burnaby condo complex have been ordered to fork over thousands of dollars in unpaid strata fines.

Barry Linden and Ronald Thibodeau live in a first-floor unit at the Parkcrest Apartments on Patterson Avenue, and have been the subject of numerous complaints from their neighbours over the years, according to court documents. A civil claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court by their strata council included 14 affidavits signed by 11 neighbours.

“Seven residents have sworn affidavits describing incidents where the respondents caused excessive noise by yelling, screaming, singing, playing loud music, slamming doors, and allowing their dog to bark not only in their unit, but also outside and in the common areas. They also describe abusive conduct and damage to property,” B.C. Supreme Court Justice William Ehrcke wrote in a decision last week.

Some residents of the building complained that Linden and Thibodeau “have made them feel like prisoners in their own home.”

One neighbour, who is a member of the Squamish First Nation, said his wife was called a “squaw” by Linden. Another said the couple called her a “whore” and a “bitch” and mocked her inability to have children.

A former caretaker had to call the police after the two men trapped him inside his office, while Linden kicked on the door and Thibodeau banged on the windows. The caretaker said Linden had been following him around with a camera, calling him a “pervert.”

Linden was once fined by the strata for smearing dog feces on the carpet at an entrance to the building after a security camera captured him in the act. His neighbours believe he went even further.

“Various residents have described vandalism to their patios and doors which they ascribe to the respondents, although the evidence of their involvement is circumstantial. Some residents who share a common hallway with the respondents have found their doors smeared with dog feces, garbage, hair, spit, food, and various other substances,” Ehrcke wrote.

The judge described the men’s behaviour as “unacceptable”, and ordered them to pay $3,400 in outstanding fines for their behaviour. They will also have to pay the strata’s legal costs.

Thibodeau and Linden didn’t file any evidence contradicting their neighbours’ affidavits, but Thibodeau told the court that he and his partner were well-liked by the other residents of the building. He suggested those who felt otherwise were not credible.

That argument didn’t hold much water with the judge.

“Even if it may be true the respondents are liked by some residents of the Parkcrest Apartments, that would not detract from the credibility or seriousness of the allegations made in the affidavits that have been filed,” Ehrcke wrote.

Members of the strata council told the court that they did not expect the two men to comply with the order to pay their fines.