After 43 years in the photography business, John Rogers was ready to retire, but a dispute with his former landlord has complicated matters.

A small protest emerged at the corner of First Avenue and McBride Street in Prince Rupert, in front of the building where Shutter Shack once operated from. Inside, the photo lab and framing equipment remain — locked inside.

Residents who support Rogers and Shutter Shack stood outside the building at noon on Jan. 16 with neon signs that read: “Undo the locks and release tenants property” and “Treat John fairly!”

On Dec. 23, Rogers closed his business for the last time. But some of the photography services will continue at a new location on Third Avenue West with Bruce and Lonnie Wishart.

“The agreement is they’ll take over parts of our business. We’re working together trying to get this set up and going, but we can’t do much without the lab and framing equipment,” Rogers said over the phone. He wasn’t at the protest.

READ MORE: Shutter Shack to close its doors after 40 years in Prince Rupert

His lease ended in December, and he didn’t get all his property out in time. One of reasons was that he couldn’t get a specialty technician up from Calgary until Jan. 2 to help him move the lab over to the new space. But since his lease ran out, the locks have been changed.

“Since they’re not a tenant we can’t just let them go in there into the unit, we have to supervise,” said Russel Soltzer, the owner of the building. “So quite the opposite, their junk is holding our unit hostage because it’s not rentable in the condition it’s in.”

The landlords, Russel and Michelle Soltzer, are on Vancouver Island and couldn’t give an exact date on when they would be in Prince Rupert to supervise, but they said that want to sort this out soon.

“What we really want to have happen is for that unit to be cleared out and have it ready to rent again,” Russell They never received the keys after Shutter Shack closed, so they decided to change the locks. They’re in the process of bringing in cleaners and contractors.

Another former commercial tenant, Iain Cullen, was one of the protesters pleading with the landlord to “Be reasonable”. Cullen used to rent the space next to Shutter Shack when he ran the business, Far West Sports.

“We think she’s being unfair,” he said. “John simply wants to get his lab out because he’s sold his business and it’s being set up on Third Avenue. And it’s a simple solution to get the lab out.”

Rogers said he sent the landlord an email saying he’d have the lab out on Jan. 2.

“She had the door chained up on that day. And it’s just so unfair, it so vindictive to tell you the truth, that’s what it is, it’s vindictiveness and, you know, it really is totally, totally unfair,” Cullen said.

To Cullen, and the protesters it’s simple: release his lab so the new owners can start their business

“It’s just not right that his lab is being held hostage and that he can’t get his stuff out so that he can begin to enjoy his retirement after so many years of being an honourable businessman here in Rupert,” said Diana Edis, another supporter.

Not everyone is in favour of the protest. The demonstration was held outside Tamara Ward’s business, Nailz By Tamara, which she said she didn’t appreciate.

“I’ve been here for almost three years,” she said. “Michelle and Russel have been awesome to me.”

After hearing nothing from his former landlords, Rogers is now investigating other ways to retrieve his property.

Paul Legace, a poverty and law advocate for residential tenancy rights at the Prince Rupert Unemployed Action Centre said commercial leases are a completely different set of rules to residential ones.

“Obviously, if this was a tenancy issue, there are laws around that, very specific laws that the landlord can’t just take their possessions and lock them out. But with commercial leases it’s a different ball of wax,” Legace said.

The landlords called this protest is a “publicity stunt” and that they are hoping to sort the situation out as soon as possible.

READ MORE: Death of Retail in Prince Rupert

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