After over a dozen tenants at a London apartment building were left without proper heat during a prolonged cold snap, the housing provider says the incident couldn't have been prevented.
Following an electrical panel fire at the subsidized public housing building at 202 McNay St. on Christmas Eve, residents in 20 units spent multiple days without heat. While the majority of tenants had their heat restored in the first week of the fire, as of January 2, 2018, three units were still without the essential service.
Josh Browne, CEO of the London Middlesex Housing Corporation (LMHC), which runs the building, said the electrical panel has to be rebuilt given the age of the building, which is why it has taken some time to repair. He added that everyone affected was provided with a space heater.
"You never know when these things are going to go, but certainly, we responded as quickly as we can," he said. "We'll continue to monitor that situation and talk with the tenants that are affected. And if they require any additional services, we'll certainly respond."
One tenant, 62-year-old Sandra Keith, spoke to Blackburn News last week after spending more than four days without heat in her third-floor unit. She said it took a full day before she received a space heater, which was no larger than a tea kettle. She added that it did little to heat her accommodations.
"Obviously, there was somewhat of an oversight or misunderstanding [about] what had actually happened, and we're still looking into that to make sure if there's anything on our end, that it doesn't happen again," said Browne. "If that was my grandmother or mother, I would not want them to be without heat for an extended period of time, especially over the holidays, and given cold conditions outside."
Since December 24, 2017, when the electrical fire cut the heat to tenants, overnight temperatures have repeatedly dropped to around -20 C, with Environment Canada issuing a number of extreme cold warnings in the London-Middlesex area.
Browne said the heating situation could not have been prevented without a significant funding boost from the City of London or the province.
"[I'm] not surprised that something like this happened, given the fact that we've gone through a building condition assessment that said there was a significant amount of capital upgrades required in all of our buildings," said Browne. "It's unfortunate."
He said the LMHC receives around $2.2-million annually from the city. However, according to a building conditions assessment that was done in 2015-2016, it would require an additional $11-million just to effectively maintain all of the corporation's buildings. Browne said despite the funding gap, LMHC has managed to ensure a good standard at all of its buildings.
The LMHC currently controls nearly 3,300 subsidized public housing apartments, townhomes and semi-detached houses in London, Strathroy, Dorchester, Newbury, Parkhill, and Glencoe. Browne said the majority of those buildings are approaching 50 years old.
Browne added that due to budget constraints, LMHC is unable to conduct preventative maintenance at its properties.
"In terms of electrical panels, there's an extended life-cycle associated with those," he said. "[Repairs are] usually done when they fail because of the funding that we do have."
Browne said anyone living at their properties who needs to contact the LMHC after hours is encouraged to call the company's emergency maintenance number if they require assistance.
"Housing is certainly something that I believe is a foundation," he said. "People have a right, and they shouldn't feel that just because they live in social housing that they are not a priority."
