(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)
September 09, 2024 - 6:00 PM
The Kamloops airport won in court last year when it sought to be repaid for around $167,000 in unpaid lease fees, but not a penny has been paid out.
That's according to a recently filed notice of civil claim that now looks to have the owner of a former cafe personally liable for the unpaid bill.
Kamloops Airport Ltd. filed the claim on Aug. 30, more than a year after the default judgement against SPBG 812 Bute Cafe Inc. The new lawsuit named the company's owner, Aamir Bharmal, as the defendant.
It appears the airport cafe struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic, and by February 2021 it was in default on its lease, which structured its rent largely based on revenue, according to court documents.
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From February to December 2021, the company made payments totalling $40,700 toward rent and outstanding bills. In January 2022, the company wrote a $9,000 cheque to the airport with the help of a federal government lending program.
That was the last payment the cafe made to the airport.
The airport terminated the cafe's lease a year later after "several" unsuccessful attempts to contact the owner. At that time its rent was $5,056 per month and had accrued $165,245 in arrears. The airport filed its first civil claim against the company that same day, Jan. 11, 2023.
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A BC Supreme Court judgement awarded the Kamloops airport $167,420.13 for the unpaid rent, damages and interest, but none of it has been paid, according to the newly filed claim.
Bharmal has not responded in court.
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