Loretta Mehrer is busy clearing out the Hi-Way Diner after being evicted by Imperial Oil on Sept. 30.

The restaurant had only been in business for three months. Mehrer and the 13 people she employed will be looking for work until she can find another site for the diner.

“When Imperial Oil bought the building in July, that’s when the problems started,” Mehrer said. “I feel like I have had my heart ripped out.”

In July, Imperial Oil told Mehrer that she had to have building and health inspectors come and inspect the restaurant to make sure it was up to code.

“I had four building inspectors out here and they said I was good to go,” Mehrer said. “Then they had inspectors come up from Vancouver and said it would cost $50,000 to bring it up to code. Someone is not doing their job.”

Restaurants, like the Blue Fin Sushi Bar and the diner, have inhabited that space for 30 years.

Cindy Palmer, owner of Blue Fin Sushi Bar, said the building was fine when she was in there.

We just outgrew the space, that’s why we moved,” she said. “It just breaks my heart, I mean you put your heart and soul into the business, poor Loretta.”

The diner also had trouble from 7/Eleven, who told Mehr she wasn’t able to provide sandwiches to go or takeaway sodas. Because 7/Eleven was first on the lease, they didn’t want the diner to compete with the products they offer.

However, Mehrer’s business licence said she could provide food to go.

“If people want sandwiches to go, I wasn’t going to tell them no,” Mehrer said. “There is something fishy going on here, either 7/Eleven wants to expand or Imperial Oil has someone else coming in.”

Imperial said that the restaurant would require a fire wall between the Greyhound Bus Station. They also said the linoleum on one side of the floor would have to be replaced, to the tune of $9,000.

“The economics of Imperial Oil incurring such expenditures do not make sense,” Phil De Leeuw, a representative of Imperial Oils’ real estate branch wrote in a letter to Mehrer.

John Harding, from Imperial Oil’s public affairs department said Imperial’s inspectors determined that the building would require a “sizeable investment” to be brought up to code for fire safety.

“The cost of fixing the diner space just didn’t make sense to Imperial,” he said. “The tenant was given the appropriate notice that the tenancy agreement would not be renewed.”

Mehrer, who used to work at the Twin Pub, has wanted to own her own place since she was 18.

“I saved up restaurant equipment and put everything into this place,” Mehrer said. “I invested $80,000 of other peoples money, now I’m up [expletive] creek without a paddle.”

Mehrer said she will look for a new location, but it may be difficult because of the name of the place. She is sticking with the Hi-Way Diner, because she paid $1,000 for the sign.

“Just look for the name and you can find me,” she said.