Tenants 'in the dark' on fire inspection results in apartment buildings

After spotting potential fire safety issues in his North York building including a blocked fire exit Mark Legate wanted to see the results of a fire inspection for himself.

That inspection was back in spring 2016. What came next, Legate said, were dozens of emails and phone calls to city staff, all of which came back with the same answer: privacy legislation overrides the fire act.

"They wouldn't let me know if there were any ongoing violations," he said, or if any violations had occurred and been corrected. Legate was told he would have to file a freedom of information request to find out what happened in his own building, something he called "incredibly" frustrating.

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"It really leaves me in the dark," he said.

Tenant advocates say he's not alone, and many question why apartment dwellers encounter so much red tape when it comes to finding out about fire safety issues in their own homeswhile, in contrast, other property-related investigation detailsabout issues likenoise or graffitiare readilyavailable on the city's website.

Geordie Dent,executive director of the Federation of Metro Tenants' Associations, calls the difference in information availability "ridiculous."

"We don't understand why you have to file a freedom of information request to know if the building you're living in is a fire trap or not," he said.

"Tenants need to be able to find out about fire safety issues in their building in order to have a feeling of security," echoedAlejandraRuizVargas, chair of East York ACORN.

Toronto fire wants to fix 'frustrating and slow' process

But Toronto Fire Deputy Chief Jim Jessopsaid it's not that simple, since the fire department is a regulatory and enforcement agency which provides evidence within the court system.

According to the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, Toronto Fire Services has to post any orders that dictate violations or an immediate threat to life in the building, Jessop said. He admitted, however, that posts can be quite easily missed by tenants or unknowinglytaken down.

When tenants directly request information, he said they're directed to go through the Freedom of Informationand Protection of Privacy Actprocess.

"We understand that's a frustrating and slow process," Jessop said.

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With tenant concerns in mind, Jessopsaid Toronto Fire Services does plan to streamline the process so information is more accessible, starting with a "short-term solution" this fall in the form of an email application which wouldallow tenants to send questions about a building and receive information of inspections and violations.

Then, next year, Jessop said Toronto fire hopes to bring a report to city council to figure out the ongoing plan. "There should be an easier way to access information while still respecting the rights of owners," he said.

In the meantime, Legate said he still feels "powerless."

"With fire safety, you need to know what's going on," he said.