VANCOUVER — A Coquitlam-area landlord is warning other property owners about a prospective tenant identified as Jessica Simpson, also known as Jessica Yaniv, after a rental inquiry involving a "service dog" led to an alleged threat of yet another human-rights complaint, this time seeking $25,000.The most recent X post circulating this warning appears to have been posted by Yaniv himself — or at least from an old account belonging to him..Yaniv, who now also uses the name Jessica Simpson, has a lengthy and controversial history with the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal. The Langley resident became widely known after filing more than a dozen complaints between 2018 and 2019 against female estheticians and small waxing businesses, alleging discrimination for refusing to provide Brazilian waxing services on his male genitalia.The tribunal dismissed the majority of those complaints, with adjudicators citing improper motives, bad-faith conduct and an apparent pattern of targeting small businesses for financial gain in some rulings. Costs were awarded against Yaniv in at least one case. Yaniv has continued filing complaints in the years since.In the most recent social-media post, which has been circulating among landlords and critics of Yaniv, the unidentified landlord describes receiving an inquiry about a basement-suite rental.When the landlord asked for proper documentation for the claimed service dog, Yaniv reportedly became confrontational and sent a PDF asserting that no such documents were required.The landlord said the booking to view the property was cancelled and the individual was blocked.A subsequent text message from a different number then informed the landlord of an impending human-rights discrimination complaint seeking $25,000 in compensation, according to the post..The Western Standard has also received an email from someone presenting themselves as a property-management office administrator in the Vancouver area describing a similar experience.The administrator said they recently rejected a rental application from a person they identified as Yaniv after spotting red flags in the application letter and recognizing the name and photo in connection with the high-profile waxing complaints.The administrator’s company is currently facing its own BCHRT complaint from a tenant they describe as a “trans male," later identified as Yaniv.The Western Standard itself is currently defending itself against five complaints filed with the BCHRT by Yaniv related to its news coverage of the activist..The complaints, the first of which was filed in March, allege discrimination on the basis of sex and gender identity or expression. They arise primarily from two articles published by the Western Standard, as well as additional commentary, social media posts, and roundtable discussions conducted by the publication.Yaniv has a criminal record stemming from several incidents in British Columbia. In August 2019, he was arrested and later convicted of possession of a prohibited weapon after brandishing a taser during a livestreamed YouTube debate. He received a conditional discharge, one year of probation, and a firearms prohibition order..The Western Standard’s most recent reporting on Yaniv documents her recent self-identification not only as a woman but as a member of the 'MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+' group — the expanded acronym for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex and Asexual people. The term was coined and made viral by NDP MP Leah Gazan who has since drawn widespread international ridicule..Several other prominent figures are also currently facing active BCHRT complaints from Yaniv. These include B.C. MLA Dallas Brodie, National Post columnist Barbara Kay, and child-protection activist Billboard Chris (Chris Elston).
