Dispute spells end of meal program for Toronto seniors

A meal program for lower income seniors in a rental building in the Bathurst-St. Clair area has been shut down by the site's property management firm.

Retiree Jake Erlich created the Tichester Gardens Food Program about a year ago in the not-for-profit building at 31 Tichester Rd. where he's lived for about seven years. The building is owned by the Yarford Charitable Foundation, property records show, and operated by DMS Property Management.

"Emotionally, it's very difficult," Erlich said. "The nature of the idea was to help people."

A DMS executive confirmed the program was shut down, but the company says its move was justifiable because it hadn't been provided with details of the meal program a statement Erlich vehemently denies.

Erlich said he set the program up "firstly, because I could, and second, because there's a need."

He said he began by convincing nearby Bishop Strachan School to give him leftover lunches, which he'd store in the building's communal kitchen.

He said he then supplemented that food with donations from other businesses.

"There were very good proteins and vegetables and a cross-section of nutrition that I thought was very advantageous to people living here who don't have an opportunity to get to grocery stores because they have mobility issues," Erlich said. "They don't have the energy, some are quite sick."

He said he'd heat and serve the meals at dinner time on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Of the building's roughly 200 residents, he figures he averaged about 30 people per meal.

Then, on June 18, DMS emailed him a list of prerequisites he'd need to meet in order to keep the program running.

Erlich said he fulfilled those requirements as best he could. They included being trained in safe food handling, ensuring Toronto Public Health visited his operation and taking the first steps toward insuring the program, to protect the building's management in case of a complaint.

Then, on June 28, Erlich said DMS locked him out of the kitchen without warning. It's at that point, he said he was forced to shut down, because he needed the kitchen in order to prepare the meals and store food donations.

"I couldn't keep people safe," he said.

But DMS is painting a very different picture of the situation at Tichester.

Rob Watt, DMS's chief operating officer, confirmed Erlich was sent an email June 18 outlining the steps he'd need to take in order to continue the meal program.

But Watt said Erlich never responded.

"We support the program," Watt told CBC Toronto. "This is a practice that we endorse I think we just need to put a package together describing how this is going to work, [to] make sure the risk is mitigated for the foundation."

But Erlich disputes the suggestion he never responded to DMS's June 18 email.

He provided CBC Toronto with a June 24 email response to DMS, in which he responded to all the company's concerns. In the response email, Erlich said he passed a food handling course, had been inspected by Toronto Public Health and had received quotes from at least one insurance agent.

City cleared meals program

In his email, Erlich also pointed out that he's established a link with Second Harvest that authorizes him to pick up leftover food from neighbouring schools, restaurants and grocery stores to serve to his neighbours.

Toronto Public Health and Second Harvest confirmed to CBC Toronto that they've endorsed Erlich's program. Erlich also provided a certificate that shows he passed a provincially-recognized food handling course on June 22.

Erlich also sent an email to DMS staff, on June 24, saying he was expecting more insurance quotes in the days ahead. A DMS employee responded four minutes later, writing: "Please be sure to provide all information with a proposal that details the program in its entirety for our review."

Erlich responded to that email by questioning whether DMS read his June 24 proposal. He said that was the last time he heard from DMS.

'Happy to facilitate' program: DMS

Watt told CBC Toronto he wonders whether the dispute is based on miscommunication, rather than any opposition the company has to the program. He said similar meal programs exist in other DMS-operated buildings.

"We're more than happy to facilitate a program like this," Watt said.

He suggested Erlich send the proposal directly to him. Once that happens, Watt said, "we're happy to bring this forward and make a recommendation [to the Yarford board] for approval."

It may be too little, too late for Erlich. He told CBC Toronto he's ready to wash his hands of the meal program because of the opposition.

That would upset at least one of the tenants who's made use of the "fantastic" program.

"I did enjoy seeing my neighbours, some of whom are shut-ins," said Evra Taylor.

"I was sad when it stopped, especially so abruptly with no warning," Taylor said. "It was a huge service. I'm just very saddened."