‘We are freezing,’ High Park tenants say recurring winter heating failures have made apartments unlivable

For years, several tenants in High Park have endured freezing apartments each winter. Now, during one of the coldest and snowiest months on record, multiple buildings are once again without heat, prompting residents to call on their landlord to act immediately.

Residents at 35, 65, and 95 High Park Avenue, as well as 66 Pacific Avenue, have launched a petition calling on their landlord, GWL Realty Advisors, to address multiple heating issues they say have plagued the buildings for years.

One tenant at 35 High Park Avenue, who wishes to remain anonymous, tells Now Toronto that multiple units, including hers, have been without heat since Sunday morning, as a record-breaking snowstorm and temperatures dipping to -20 C moved throughout the region.

As a result, some tenants have been forced to rely on personal space heaters just to stay warm during the cold spell.

“We are freezing cold in our own apartments,” the tenant said. “We are paying huge energy bills to run our own space heaters to keep just one room at 15/16C, still cold, but not as bad as other rooms can be without a space heater running 24/7.”

She says the issue has persisted since she moved into the complex five years ago, while some tenants say it’s gone on for nearly a decade. 

According to the tenant, GWL has acknowledged that the windows in the building do not properly retain heat and has imposed above-average rent increases each year since 2020, citing plans to replace the windows. However, she says the project has been repeatedly delayed, with the windows remaining unreplaced.

The problem is made worse during the winter months, she says, when radiators frequently stop working and the boiler servicing the buildings breaks down, sometimes multiple times in a single week. Living in the building during winter, she adds, has become unlivable.

“If I want to make a meal, I have to bundle up to use the kitchen,” she said. “I have to pre-run my shower because it’s simply too cold to take a shower without warming up the bathroom first.”

“Our daily lives are hugely changed because we cannot live in such frigid temperatures day in and day out,” she added.

On Sunday night, as the storm continued to take over the region, the tenant says residents at 66 Pacific Avenue experienced power outages in parts of their units, which residents believe may be linked to the increased use of space heaters throughout the building.

She says the landlord sent a memo informing tenants that heat would be restored by the end of Monday, Jan. 26. As of Tuesday morning, however, some units remained without heat as Environment Canada issued a yellow warning, predicting periods of extreme cold temperatures.

“People are coping by either leaving and staying with friends or family, dedicating themselves to one room and using space heaters to heat that room, or just simply freezing,” she said.

Despite repeated calls to both GWL and the city’s 311 service, which she says recently confirmed indoor temperatures were below minimum standards, the tenant says the situation remains unresolved.

“GWL reassures us that we’re one of the only units without heat and that they haven’t gotten any other complaints, just pure gaslighting on their part,” she said. “They say the same thing every year.”

The petition has received more than 200 signatures as of publication. Residents are now calling on GWL and the city to urgently intervene by repairing the buildings, providing space heaters for each room, and covering increased hydro costs resulting from their use.

“If they cannot provide heaters & hydro costs, they need to find accommodations (other units, hotels, etc) for tenants until livable temperatures resume,” the tenant said.

Now Toronto reached out to GWL Realty Advisors for comment but did not receive a response by publication.