Ema-Yvon Mikel, Op-ed –
At the end of August, Torontonians watched in horror as a leaning façade led to the partial demolition of three buildings in the Kensington Market neighbourhood. The collapse at 608 Dundas Street West was a decade in the making. The building had been deemed unsafe since 2014, following several major safety violations that threatened the lives of tenants.
Online, previous residents provided background about the Dundas apartments. Agreeing with the official inspection document, one user said the building used to house dozens of individuals at a time. The building allegedly contained a maze of below-ground rooms the size of closets cheaply rented by vulnerable low-income immigrants. In place of independent access, basement residents had to exit through the first-floor store.
Even after all tenants were evicted in 2014 for work to meet the building code, safety issues were never fully resolved. Images show rapid deterioration of the roof and an obvious cover-up of the cracking brick façade.
Construction workers across the street reported sighting the building moving in August. Those interviewed by CTV Toronto said the roof had been sagging significantly for nearly a decade. The building often shook when streetcars passed.
Demolition crew navigate the collapsed building on Dundas Street West. Photo: EYM
Therefore, it was no surprise when the building finally caved. Now dozens are left without their homes, and in some cases their work and livelihoods.
Will the 608 Dundas collapse signal what’s to come for other sagging apartments?
Tenants do not have the power to demand that the city conduct a thorough home inspection. Instead, tenants have to request an inspection from their landlords. This means asking slumlords to snitch on themselves.
In the Cabbagetown area, several residents told me of anger towards their landlords and their poorly maintained apartments. While rent continues to climb, tenants have become so desperate for affordable housing that bedbugs, roaches, rodents and unsafe neighbourhoods are endured.
The solution to landlord abuse begins with giving tenants more power to hold their landlords accountable. Tenants deserve the right to request home, fire, electrical, and water quality inspections.
Toronto’s RentSafeTO program requires all landlords to conduct safety inspections of residential buildings with at least 10 tenants or at least three stories. But the program excludes condo buildings, townhomes and units in private homes such as basement units. This gap in protection leaves countless tenants at the mercy of their landlord. RentSafeTO was launched in 2023, yet enforcement practices are murky.
In my building, a tenant was pressured into paying $500 extra per month because her partner had moved in. Another was bribed into doing maintenance work for pennies instead of having a certified professional do the work. I have waited for years for the chance to plead to the province’s Landlord and Tenant Board.
In the midst of a housing crisis, tenants in Toronto must strive to educate one another to prevent landlords from taking advantage of the vulnerable. If you or a loved one has suffered landlord abuse, thoroughly document violations and correspondence from your landlord. Also consider joining a tenant’s union and seeking legal counsel.
1 Comment
Hi – born in downtown Toronto 85 years ago – and used to say one day these bldgs will collapse if not renovated etc. It came true and this is just the beginning. My dad was born here in 1915 – and lived in the area on Henry St. It is well over 100 years old and needs regular city inspectors. The City is at fault as they dont have enough inspectors and it takes months if not years to inspect all of these old dilapilated bldgs in Toronto….. much like the sewers under the roads which by the way much of Toronto as water running underneath. My dad used tell me about selling newspapers on Wellington and Yonge st. to support his family and the lake at that times was well above
Front st. It was later built up with debris and landfill from the city. Toronto is becoming a horrible mess these days. I am sickened and appalled with it. They so called planning dept. is full of hot air and has no clue on how to plan this city… we have now made into a horror show of cement condos on the lakeshore – ruined all the beauty of the lakefront – and the keep on demolishing historic bldgs. without thought. I may not be here to see the futrue and am very happy about that. However the youth and children to come later will not live in a safe and beautiful city that Toronto that once was due to poor planning – waste of money – poor politics and poor politican idiots that they have had over the last 25 – years and more.
We are no more the music magnet of North America – we are not vibrant – exciting except known for high rise condos of 8 0 – 90 and more stories that are now not even selling at the prices they are asking. Condos go up as i live in the Bay/Bloor/Yonge area and it is a ghostown in that area everything we loved is gone…it will be years and years before the repair – renovate – build the new subway system at those corners – and businesses. There are condos from Dundas/Yonge all the way up to Davenport/Yonge that still after 5 or more years have no commerical businesses on their first level..they are for rent or lease ??? we need stores that make thing vibrant – bakeries – ice cream stores – small mom and pop shops – butcher shops etc. etc.. we are controlled by the Rich in this city and we have not chance. Homeless will continue and i am afraid to say that this winter of 2024 will be a horrific eye opener of deaths on the streets of Toronto no only from the homeless but the murders – stabbings – shootings – beatings etc …Is this really Toronto now or another city that will become another name like Dundas Square?