Councillor finds it 'prudent' landlords have proper fire insurance

Torontosun.com
Dec. 16, 2019
Adam Swimmer

Last month’s deadly blaze at an apartment high-rise raises the question as to whether landlords better fire insurance coverage to help their tenants in the event of a disaster.

The fire at 235 Gosford Park Blvd., on Friday, Nov. 15, left one person dead, injured six others and displaced around 700 residents.

Coun. Anthony Perruzza, who represents the area, said this fire was covered by the City of Toronto’s disaster bylaws to provide emergency shelter for those who couldn’t find other lodging.

“Anybody who was basically left homeless and registered with the Red Cross, they were given shelter for 14 days,” Perruzza explained.

The displaced families were housed at both the Driftwood Community Centre and the Tait McKenzie building at York University.

He said the number of people in these facilities fluctuated but went as high as around 60 people.

“It’s a tough situation to live in kind of like a makeshift shelter, especially when you have young kids and you don’t have any of your belongings,” the councillor said.

And providing this emergency shelter like this becomes “a very big burden for the city.”

But Perruzza said under current legislation landlords are ultimately responsible in these types of situations so it’s “prudent” for them to have the proper coverage.

The city required the building’s management company Ronkay Management Inc. to find accommodations for the remaining 30 people still in the emergency shelters after the 14 days expired, CTV had reported.

The landlord said on Facebook Dec. 7, those residents can continue to stay in the hotel through January but will have to pay their old rent and parking. Ronkay will cover the difference of the hotel costs.

Those who found their own accommodations don’t have to pay rent.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada recommends anyone who rents a lodging to have tenants insurance, which among other things can help you in the event of a fire or other type of damage to your home.

It insures your belongings and can help cover “any necessary expenses while your apartment is being repaired, such as hotel bills, restaurant meals and moving costs.”

But Perruzza said these types of plans often have a cap of around $5,000, which can be used up quickly, so he recently moved a motion at a council meeting to have the city look at what role it should play in ensuring landlords have access to the right type of insurance products to cover themselves and their tenants in a crisis.

As for the Gosford Blvd. apartment building, the city is working with Ronkay Management to help make sure the building is repaired and its residents can move back home.