Bhutila Karpoche, MPd for Parkdale-High Park, told CBC News she knew about 50 residents at 130 Jameson Avenue who could be evicted for using the air conditioner. This is because Toronto experienced humidex prices in the 1940s just one week after the official start of summer. One of these tenants, says Karpoche, is in a wheelchair with serious underlying health problems and has lived in the building for years. “She has lived there for decades and using AC has never been a problem in the past. And suddenly, she received this notification simply because she used her AC to stay cool,” she said. “This is a serious health and safety hazard for tenants.”
“One way to get rid of us,” says the tenant
CBC News spoke with many residents who have also lived in the building for over 10 years and say that the use of air conditioning has never been a problem until now. Gerald Lomond is one of them. The exterior of The Imperial apartment building at 130 Jameson Avenue in Toronto’s Parkdale neighborhood is pictured Tuesday. Some residents of the building were issued eviction notices regarding the use of window-mounted air conditioners. (Evan Mitsui / CBC) Lomond, who has lived in the building for about a decade, says the hydroelectric power was part of the lease, but he now faces the option of paying for it himself or finding a place to live. “I feel like it’s just a way to get rid of us because we pay lower rent. If we moved and moved back, our rent would go up to six hundred or seven hundred dollars,” he said. Cindy Therrian and Elizabeth Beard, who have lived in the building for 30 and 13 years respectively, agree. Therrian lives with a respiratory condition called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but says she feels the landlord “does not care about the tenants” and that the sudden change is a matter of “greed”.
Tenants were given the option to pay for hydroelectric or get rid of AC
The landlord, Myriad Property Management, said in an email that it conducts annual inspections of all units in the building and notes any breaches of the tenant’s lease, including air conditioners or other appliances not included in their agreement. Tenants are then given a letter of warning and one to two weeks to comply, with options to pay directly for the electricity or pay a monthly fee to the property management company. The exterior of The Imperial apartment building at 130 Jameson Avenue in Toronto’s Parkdale neighborhood is pictured Tuesday. Some residents of the building were issued eviction notices regarding the use of window-mounted air conditioners. (Evan Mitsui / CBC) The units of these tenants are then re-inspected. If they continue to use unauthorized devices, they will be given a warning of possible eviction, the company said. “It was not, was not and will never be our intention to expel someone without giving them the opportunity to rectify the situation in a reasonable manner and time,” the statement said.
The MPP wants to see the maximum temperatures adjusted
However, Karpoche says tenants in Ontario face “a significant gap” created during the PC government of former Prime Minister Mike Harris, where if a unit is vacant, rents can increase indefinitely. “There is no ceiling. Therefore, if a rent in a particular unit doubles, that would be perfectly legal. And this is a gap that motivates landlords to evict tenants, often in bad faith, sometimes completely false. reasons “, said Karpoche. That is why, says Karpoche, rents among tenants need to be stabilized, something the New Democrats tabled in a private member bill at the last session of parliament. The proposed legislation was voted down, he said. Bhutila Karpoche, MPd for Parkdale-High Park, told CBC News she knew about 50 residents on Jameson Avenue 130 who could be evicted for using the air conditioner. This is as Toronto experienced humidex prices at 40 just one week after the official start of the summer. (CBC) The MPP also says Ontario should consider setting maximum rental temperatures such as minimum temperatures during the winter months. Meanwhile, 130 Jameson residents say they will not go anywhere. “Everyone stays together,” Therrien said. “I know I will find it difficult to speak, but I do not care.”
