A building in downtown Toronto has updated their parcel system after allegedly seeing multiple occurrences of package thefts, but one resident says that the change was not enough to solve the problem.
A resident, who doesn’t want to be identified, tells Now Toronto she and various other residents of a 90 Eastdale Ave. condo building in Toronto have allegedly had multiple delivery packages stolen since last year.
The resident claims she had four packages stolen in the condo building since then.
As a content creator, she frequently receives packages from partnering brands for her sponsored content, including clothes and cosmetics. She says the alleged thefts also interfere with her job, and she is worried about how it makes her look to collaborators.
“One time… they ended up sending me one of the items three times. The first time, it got stolen… Fortunately, they were really nice, and I was able to get the package sent to me twice. So, that was good, but it was just kind of stressful. [It] just does not look good for me as a business,” she said.
And the issue is not exclusive to this one resident, as her neighbours have also allegedly shared multiple counts of parcel thefts within the building, and are trying their best to support each other.
“One of my neighbours that I talked to, frankly, it’s just really bad for her. There’s one time she ordered a laptop for her son that was stolen, [and] they recently stole one of her son’s graduation outfits. She had a lot of stuff that actually happened,” she said.
The resident says that she believes that another one of the building’s residents is responsible for taking her and her neighbours’ packages, given that the parcel room requires a password that only another resident who had also received their own package would be able to access.
According to her, since packages started vanishing, residents have allegedly been reporting the incidents to the building management, and even escalated to filing a police report.
For her, the main issue is not the stolen property, but the fact that she feels the building’s managers are not doing enough to protect tenants in her view.
“Someone [has] been taking my package that has my name, my number, that’s not good, that’s unsafe. So, I’m being watched. [It’s as if they] don’t care about my safety,” she said.
After contacting management, the resident says they were allegedly told that the building couldn’t share security camera content for privacy reasons. Residents were also allegedly directed not to install their own security cameras in front of their apartment doors.
A spokesperson for DBS Developments, responsible for managing the 90 Eastdale Ave. condo, told Now Toronto that they are aware of the theft issues, and have in response introduced a new parcel control system to the building.
“We are aware of past incidents involving package theft at the property and have taken steps to address the issue by installing a Luxer One Secure Parcel Room. This new system offers controlled access for residents to safely retrieve their packages,” the spokesperson said in an email statement on May 9.
In the new system, both package deliverers and retrievers need a personalized one-time security pin to access the parcel room, which is also equipped with full-coverage surveillance cameras.
“We’ve also recently upgraded the property’s security by installing a new FOB access system and adding additional surveillance cameras throughout the premises,” the spokesman added.
But the resident says the change was still not enough to end the thefts and wishes that the building would do something else to address the issue, including considering the addition of security personnel around the room during the day.
“It’s kind of an open parcel room. So, essentially, when you walk in, there’s just packages everywhere. [There’s] no designated room, like a locker [that] you open up a lock and you take a parcel out…. I could technically go and then also take someone else’s,” she said.
According to a FedEx Holiday survey in 2024, package thefts have become a common concern in the country, while one in 10 Canadians have gotten a package stolen at some point with 67 per cent of the surveyed group being reportedly concerned about parcel theft.
At the moment, the 90 Eastdale Ave. resident just wishes the building management would listen to residents and put more attention into how they deal with packages, and says that she is still waiting to hear back on her police reports.
“No one really cares to pay attention to detail… I honestly, just [want them] to be a little more attentive, to take it more seriously,” she added.
