Meridien was the housing development and property management company that, along with several partners, built the St. James Town high-rise housing complex beginning in 1965. Located just south of Bloor Street between Parliament and Sherbourne, the St. James Town high rises were built as a huge complex of market rate bachelor apartments. Meridien was heavily criticized by local residents and activists for employing blockbusting techniques to acquire the land for development. They would essentially buy property and then pack buildings full of low income tenants. This would, in turn, inspire nearby homeowners to sell rather than risk the depreciation of their homes which would mean they would get less if they sold later.

After they completed the first phase of St. James Town, Meridien looked to acquire more property to the south but encountered a more organized group of residents and activists including then city counsellor John Sewell and community organizer John Whitelaw. These tenants demanded that Meridien cease their practise of blockbusting and begin renting directly to tenants rather than using profit seeking middlemen. After a great deal of pressure, Philip Roth, the public face of Meridien, continued to refuse to rent directly to tenants but agreed to use John Sewell as the middleman for 22 of their houses in the area. Sewell agreed, but Roth soon demanded that he return seven of the houses leading to a long legal and political battle.

During the 1960s and 1970s, to residents and activists in Ward 7 Meridien represented the urban renewal and property development machine. With the help of their friends at city hall, they believed, Meridien was able to get away with harassing residents and manipulatingd property values in order to acquire land and build their high rises.

Kevin Brushett, "Blots on the Face of the City: The Politics of Slum Housing and Urban Renewal in Toronto 1940-1970" (PhD diss., Queen's University, 2001)

John Sewell, Up against City Hall (Toronto: James and Lorimer & Company, 1972)