Fire system ‘deficiencies’ at Hamilton highrise in coronavirus outbreak during March blaze

Nearly two months after a blaze at Rebecca Towers, the windows of a fire-damaged unit are still busted.

Pigeons perch on the balcony and fly in and out of the fifth-floor apartment in the highrise that's now grappling with a coronavirus outbreak.

The derelict unit serves as a stark reminder for Arefin Chowdhury about how the 17-storey building's emergency system malfunctioned the morning of March 24.

He couldn't hear the alarm, nor any instructions over the building's PA system, through a speaker in his unit and only realized the unit next to his was ablaze when the fire trucks arrived.

Other tenants had already huddled outside, but with smoke already filling the corridor, it was too late for Chowdhury, his mother and pregnant wife to make it outside.

There was no way out for us," he recalled his week.

So after stuffing a towel under the door, they headed to the balcony and watched firefighters tackle the flames from a ladder truck just a few metres away.

It was really scary. It was terrible," Chowdhury said.

Other tenants at 235 Rebecca St. say they couldn't hear the building's fire alarm or announcements through the speakers in their units, either.

A fire department inspection later confirmed deficiencies" in the voice communication system that's used to alert tenants during emergencies.

That meant some tenants could not hear the announcements and the fire alarm in their unit speaker," deputy fire chief Carla MacDonald said in an email this week.

The landlord, Medallion Corporation, resolved the problem after an order was issued, MacDonald noted.

Medallion spokesperson Danny Roth said emergency systems are inspected annually and were working before the March fire.

Any issues that may have been identified in our investigation following the fire have been properly addressed, and all life safety systems in the building are fully operational at this time."

Chowdhury credits firefighters for doing a tremendous job" in quickly putting out the blaze.

Otherwise, I was wondering what would happen to me and my family, and especially when you have a pregnant wife."

They opted to stay at his sister's house in Burlington for a couple of days, thinking that would be safer than a hotel amid the pandemic.

But at the time, coronavirus had already made its way into Rebecca Towers. As of Wednesday, the case count had reached 109 - the largest outbreak in Hamilton during the pandemic's third wave.

Chowdhury and his mother - but not his wife and their newborn daughter - were among those who wound up catching coronavirus.

On parental leave from his job at an Oakville grocery store, he figures he became ill at Rebecca Towers - specifically in its one operating elevator.

The other one had been - and still is - down for repairs since January, which Chowdhury and others argue has made it more difficult to remain physically distant during rides up and down.

In recent days, a tenant committee has expressed frustration public health didn't inform residents about cases in their building until May 3, despite first detecting activity there in mid-March.

The outbreak, which has claimed one life, has taken a morbid centre stage. But the crisis has also underscored issues tenants had already flagged at 235 Rebecca St. long before it was declared.

The grievances range from a lack of cleanliness in common areas, to the out-of-service elevator, pests, the malfunctioning fire system and damage in the blaze's aftermath. Some tenants also point to a leaky roof.

Basically, every time it rains the past five years," said Lloyd Smith, who lives on the 17th floor.

Roth called the elevator work essential and necessary," noting the job is expected to wrap up by the end of this month. He added Medallion will review other tenant concerns with the building and take appropriate action, as needed."

Meanwhile, tenants face a rental hike beyond the province's annual 2.2 per cent guideline for 2020 to cover roughly $556,000 for new lights, hallway renovations and new doors.

The committee has secured $2,860 from the city's tenant defence fund to help it challenge Medallion's bid for an above-guideline increase (AGI) before the Landlord and Tenant Board.

In Ontario, with the provincial tribunal's approval, landlords can apply for AGIs to cover extraordinary capital expenditures," which can't be cosmetic items or to enhance luxury and prestige."

Smith says his rent has jumped by 5.18 per cent, a hike that includes the AGI and provincial guideline increase. That brings it to $830.

I thought it's not worth arguing about. I don't want the hassle of nasty letters and stuff like that."

But Smith, who's 64 and looks forward to retirement from his cleaning job at St. Peter's Hospital, hopes his rent remains affordable in coming years.

Location wise, it's great for somebody who walks."

Serena Pollock has decided to see what happens with the Landlord and Tenant Board before paying the AGI hike. That means she's paying $754 a month.

Pollock, who was displaced for months by a massive flood due to a malfunctioning standpipe in 2016, argues tenants shouldn't have to pay for Medallion's renovations.

Because they're not properly maintaining the building," said the 50-year-old call centre worker.

Roth said a hearing hasn't been set on the AGI, which Medallion filed with Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) in early 2020.

As to future applications to the LTB, it would not be appropriate for us to offer comment, or speculate, on AGIs that have not been filed."

Teviah Moro is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: tmoro@thespec.com