Residents of Toronto low-rise living in ‘ice box’ after building’s boiler breaks down
Residents in a downtown low-rise say they’ve been left in freezing conditions for weeks now, ever since their building’s boiler broke down.
And they say their landlord — property management company Akelius Canada — isn’t doing enough to remedy the situation.
“It’s hard to shower because it’s so cold. I stand in my kitchen, it’s like a frozen ice box,” eight-year resident Nikoloas Beaubien told CBC Toronto. “It’s not right … tenants deserve better.”
One resident told CBC Toronto the temperature in one unit on March 11 was 14 C.
Akelius’ Canadian head, Shelly Lee, said Tuesday in a statement to CBC Toronto the company was in the process of switching the building’s heating system from a gas-fired boiler to an electrical heat pump system when the boiler broke down, at the beginning of March.
The company then passed out small space heaters, which residents contacted by CBC Toronto say are much too small to properly heat their units.
“I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this has caused our tenants,” Lee said in her statement. “I assure you that our team is working relentlessly on this matter. I appreciate our tenants’ understanding and patience during this challenging time.”
That was cold comfort for some tenants.
“It’s long johns and three shirts on, and toques and hoodies all the time,” resident Chris Cooper said. “It’s just me and the dog freezing our butts off all day, and there’s no respite.”
He said Akelius’ response was “not helpful.”
The statement from Akelius says they are working to bring the new heat pump system online faster. Additionally, they’ve also offered to cover any extra electricity bills racked up by the use of space heaters, and reduce rents in the 37-apartment building by as much as $150.
Political inquiry sparks action
Then, on Tuesday, the company announced it would be bringing in a generator within the next couple of days to get the heating system up and running by this weekend.
“The tenants are shivering, they’re cold, they’re getting sick,” Wong-Tam told CBC Toronto on Tuesday. “It is not just immoral and unreasonable, it’s illegal.”
Akelius, a European-based company that owns buildings around the world, including more than 3,500 units in Toronto, and about 3,900 in Montreal, has been in the news before over the last nine years.
Wong-Tam wondered why the company waited until now to bring in a generator to operate the new heating system.
“It angers me why the tenants were told nothing could be done,” they said. “They could have brought the generator in on March 5; they didn’t have to leave the tenants out without heat for weeks now. It’s actually quite shameful.”
Lee told CBC Toronto the company tried to bring in a generator when the when the boiler first broke at the beginning of March, but had trouble finding a suitable machine and the contractors to install it.
As of Tuesday, Akelius also said it will cover hotel bills for residents who don’t want to stay in their units until the heating system is up and running, which they expect to happen this weekend.
City investigating, could levy fines
But the new generator and offer to cover hotel bills is “too little, too late,” for Euridice Baumgarten, a tenant organizer with the Federation of Metro Tenants’ Associations.
She called the situation “pretty horrible.”
“You’re supposed to have heat in your apartment — that’s what the law says,” she said. “The law doesn’t say you’re supposed to have a space heater.”
She recommended that residents facing similar issues report the problem to both the federation, and the city.
City of Toronto staff told CBC Toronto in a statement they’re aware of the situation at 16 St. Joseph and have been door-knocking at the building to ensure residents are not at risk.
Staff said RentSafeTO, the city agency that investigates inappropriate behaviour by landlords, has also been monitoring the situation.
Landlords are required to keep their units at a minimum of 21 C from Sept. 15 to June 1, the statement from city staff says.
Those who don’t can face fines of up to $10,000 for each day the contravention continues.
The city said it couldn’t comment on whether the company will face charges, as the situation is still under investigation.
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