The Beginning

At 301 Prudential Drive, an aging condo building in Scarborough, residents are fainting in their units.

Amidst the sweltering heat Toronto is experiencing, the residents find themselves without air-conditioning. The building is equipped with air-conditioning but management neglected to service the machine properly and as a result residents are now boiling in their units.

This is not the first time that the residents of this condo building find themselves battling the heat. Back in May of this year, when all condo buildings had their air-conditioners switched on, 301 Prudential Drive lacked cooling.

When questioned as to why there was no cooling, management stated that the air-conditioner had problems. A technician was called and a few days later it was reported that the problem was ‘fixed’.

Apparently it wasn’t fixed very well as the ancient machine, a mere three months later, has given the ghost again. This time the technician found a leak which he patched up with some silicone.

The silicone didn't do the job though. When a health and safety official come around, he red flagged the machine. He actually red flagged the machine in 2008 and in 2009, urging management to buy a new machine, but this didn't happen. They rather payed a fine than buying a new machine.

Management operates under the instructions of a Board of Directors. The president (Shaun) wouldn't give his okay to buy a new machine.

Because of him everybody is now suffering.

We, and many others, have bought fans to keep us cool.
A small fan in each of the bedrooms, a large fan in the living room.
Today, with a temperature of 80 degrees it is okay, but last week when we were having 100 and 113 degrees the situation was almost unbearable.

Our pets were suffering too. Now they're okay again, but during the very hot days they were on the floor without any energy at all. To cool them I sponged them down with cold water and freshened their water bowl every few hours.

What angers me the most is that this could have been prevented. If management had listened to the Health & Safety inspector and gone ahead and bought the chiller when first recommended, we wouldn't have to suffer.

If I ever get my hands on the stingy president ...

Stay tuned for updates on this situation and other stuff that happens under the Toronto sun.