Father of victim applies to file class-action lawsuit after Old Montreal fire

Update:In October, 2023,the class action was switched to a civil action under joinder, which brings all similar claims together into one proceeding. The City of Montreal was added to the suit.

A New Brunswick man is applying to launcha $22-millionclass-action lawsuit on behalf of those who were killed or hurt in thefatal fire in Old Montreal earlier this month.

Randy Sears lost his son, Nathan, in the fire. A total of seven people died in the March 16 fire.

Nathan Sears, an academic from Toronto witha PhD in political science, was in town for the International Studies Association conference held at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth hotel. His body was among those found in the rubble.

The application for theclass-action targets the building's owner, Emile Benamor, the tenant who was runningthe short-term rental units, Tariq Hasan, and Airbnb. The lawsuit claims all three were negligent.

Sears says there waslack of safety equipment in the building and claims the units did not meet municipal safety standards. None of his claims have been proven in court.

The fire started early in the morning in the William-Watson-Ogilvie building, near the intersection ofPlace d'Youville and Saint-Nicolas Street.

The cause of the firehas not yet been determined. Montreal police say the investigation is ongoing.