The National Capital Commission was ordered to compensate a tenant for evicting him from a home it owned in western Quebec after radioactive contamination was found inside.

The Régie du logement, Quebec's landlord and tenant authority, found the NCC should compensate Duff Conacher $4,500 after it forced him to move in September from a five-bedroom house he rented from the commission at Kingsmere Lake in Gatineau Park.

The house was demolished in November, and tenants of houses slated for demolition automatically receive three months' rent and moving expenses, which were worth $7,200.

Conacher said Friday the NCC discovered in 2005 that the house contained two hazardous radioactive materials: radon gas and uranium-tainted water.

"The NCC … did not do anything about it and essentially told me to just leave if I didn't like it," he said, adding that he wanted the problem fixed instead.

Conacher said the ruling will force landlords throughout Quebec to protect tenants when radiation is found on their properties.

Conacher is best known as the co-ordinator for Democracy Watch, an organization that pushes for government accountability. He said he only went public with the decision now because he was too busy earlier.