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Mayor John Tory says he is prepared to review a city bylaw that dictates when landlords must switch over their heating and cooling systems after tenants of a midtown building complained about sweltering in the late summer heat.
Residents of a residential building at 44 Jackes Avenue, located in the area of Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue, told CP24 that they have been “very uncomfortable” since their landlord switched off the air conditioning and turned on the building’s heating system during an ongoing heat wave in the city.
“There are quite a few seniors in the building so I can’t image how they are coping,” one tenant told CP24 Wednesday night. “We’re having a hard time sleeping at night and (my daughter) came home from school the other day and our dog was sick all over the apartment just because of the heat and there’s not much you can do with pets if you’re not there during the day.”
Speaking to CP24 Wednesday, Ward 22 Coun. Josh Matlow, who represents the area, said he has received several complaints on the subject from his constituents.
A city bylaw states that between September 15 and June 1, landlords must keep the heat at or above 21 C and as a result, some landlords have turned off the air conditioning.
Matlow has urged landlords to use “common sense” and “reasonable judgment” when making decisions regarding temperature control.
Speaking to reporters about the situation Thursday, Tory said he is “very sympathetic” to those impacted by the late blast of hot weather.
“What I have said in order to try to address this is that I am quite open, at the request of Coun. Matlow, to having a review of the bylaw so that we can see if there is a better way we can do this,” Tory said.
“I maintain the principle that we have to make sure that people are subject to a reasonable environment in their apartments, hot or cold, during the winter season especially, but do it in a way that is perhaps more accommodating to the fact that weather changes from time to time.”
The landlord of the Jackes Avenue building told tenants that it takes five days to turn the air conditioning system on or off but the mayor said he was “skeptical” of such claims.
“I think the bottom line is a review of the bylaw will be sensitive to the fact that people very uncomfortable this weekend shouldn’t be but at the same time will allow those to come forward who have complex heating systems and tell us why,” Tory said. “And that may mean that we have to be a bit more flexible.”
Sweltering temperatures are expected to persist in Toronto over the weekend, with anticipated daytime highs of 30 C and 29 C on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
Management at the Jackes Avenue building say a “cooling room” will be open to help tenants cope with the heat and fans have also been offered to residents.
