LATEST STORIES:

Hamilton housing advocates propose max heat bylaw for rental units

Share this story...

It’s not summer yet but the temperatures in Hamilton rental units are the focus of discussions at city hall. Three local groups voiced their concerns on Monday to the public health committee about safety during extreme heat events.

Three organizations call on the city to introduce a maximum heat bylaw for summer 2024. A member of a tenants’ advocate group says the new rule would apply to all rental housing units.

READ MORE: Most Ontario elementary teachers experienced or witnessed violence: survey

Stewart Klazinga from ACORN Hamilton says, “We are asking for the creation of subsidized programs to assist with the cost of retrofitting older market rental housing stock to adapt to hotter summers.”

Currently, the city only has a minimum heat bylaw for tenants. Property owners must ensure units are at least 20 degrees Celsius from Sept. 15 to May 15. This proposed bylaw is similar but calls for a maximum indoor temperature of 26 degrees Celsius during summer.

READ MORE: City of Toronto declares homelessness an emergency

Tenants at the committee meeting say they do experience extremes in the summer, some even avoid cooking, “I can’t use the stove all summer long because it just heats up the apartment so much.”

Although cooling centres are open during the warmer months, the coalition is calling for immediate action on providing temporary cooling inside apartments this summer.

Blair Feltmate, head of the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo, says that extreme heat is a big concern in Hamilton. “Hamilton realizes about 16 to 18 days per summer where the temperature is greater than 30 degrees Celsius. By 2050 to 2080, that will go to about 60 to 65 days per summer where the temperature exceeds 30 degrees Celsius.”

READ MORE: Ottawa in talks with province on getting “fair share” of homelessness funding

Feltmate says the most at-risk groups are the elderly, those experiencing homelessness, and people with pre-existing conditions. “They start to experience problems associated with potentially heat stroke, heat cramps, and even exasperation of mental health challenges. So 26 degrees Celsius is where you start to see the negative effects of extreme heat start to kick in.”

The three organizations are urging the committee to take action now so a bylaw is in place for next summer to ensure tenants don’t have to wait any longer to get relief.