A beloved Toronto gym is being evicted after 15 years
Krudar Muay Thai has been evicted from Kensington Market.
After 15 years of teaching Thai martial arts on Augusta Avenue, owners Darwin and Danica Miranda have been locked out of their gym by the property's landlord.
Krudar, along with another neighbourhood staple, Round, was issued an eviction notice on Monday. They have until early next week to vacate the property.
Darwin took to Instagram yesterday to let the community know about the closure in a video, making an appeal for any lawyers to help with the situation.
"It's not fair that the landlord changed the locks on us while we were closed," said Darwin.
"...If there's anybody out there that can help us right now, let us know."
According to Darwin, their landlord had refused to participate in the rent relief program despite the fact that Krudar's gyms in Kensington and on Don Mills have been forced to close for nearly the entire lockdown.
The gym reopened briefly in September, only to be shut down again on Oct. 10 when Ontario reverted back to Stage 2. They've since been running classes in the park and virtually.
Owners say they had managed to pay for four months of rent since lockdown started, but the landlord has now locked the doors and taken possession of the gym's equipment.
Now the property is up for sale by the Sutton Group for $4,750,000, with photos of Krudar and all its punching bags, mats, and other gear showcased in the listing.
The gym, which aside from being one of the foremost Muay Thai gyms in Toronto also acts as a community hub, has seen an outpouring of support from students and martial arts practitioners.
Krudar has also made a petition to Councillor Mike Layton, MPP Jessica Bell, MP Chrystia Freeland and Premier Doug Ford, demanding that commercial eviction bans be extended.
They're also asking that a new federal rent relief program be applied retroactively for businesses whose landlords refused to participate in CECRA.
More than 500 people have signed the petition since Thursday afternoon.
"We have been good tenants for years, and invested a significant amount of money in leasehold improvements," says the gym. "We have taken care of [the landlord's] property as if it were our own."
Krudar Toronto
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