Heat-related deaths and illnesses could rise without proper cooling for Ontario tenants, advocates say [Video]

Although this spring has offered more than a few chilly days, that’s cold comfort for tenants throughout Canada who worry that they’re one heat wave away from heat stroke (or worse) if all levels of government don’t take action to mandate that landlords–all of them–provide residents with working air conditioning during the warmest months of the year. 

“It’s a big problem,” says Marcia Bryan, chairperson for the Cooksville chapter of Peel ACORN, an independent social and economic justice organization comprised of low- and moderate-income residents.

“It’s a problem I’ve dealt with myself, especially last summer. When it’s hot, it’s hot and when it’s cold, it’s cold in here.”

Bryan and other ACORN members recently appeared at Celebration Square in Mississauga to highlight the findings of a recent report, released by the advocacy group, that indicates that 44 per cent of low- and moderate-income tenants lack access to air conditioning, often …