Hamilton woman fears summer of extreme heat with no AC in her apartment, city bylaw is no help

Elizabeth Scott is dreading what could be in store for her and her family over the long, hot months of summer.

Last summer, in parts of Canada, temperatures surpassed 40 C for days during a heat dome putting people at risk and leading to hundreds of deaths.

"I don't look forward to summer, I like fall and winter," Scott told CBC Hamilton.

Scott, 46, — who lives with three other family members in an apartment building at 2520 Barton St. E. — fears the heat could get unbearable, and she has no air conditioning.

"It's really hot because I get the afternoon sun and it gets really hot in here," Scott said.

"I have four fans … and we just have [them] going. Even if I was to go to the mall or to the library to get relief, I still have to come home and deal with the heat at night when I sleep."

Scott says talking to her landlord about it does not help and she feels it's useless reaching out to the city.

"Any landlords I've talked to about the extreme heat, they always say, 'Well, that's not my problem,'" she told CBC Hamilton. 

The City of Hamilton Property Standards Bylaw makes no provision for air conditioning to be provided by building owners and landlords.

Section 15.1 of the bylaw states that appliances supplied by the landlord of a rental unit shall be maintained in a good state of repair and in a safe, operable condition. According to the city, 'appliances' mean, but is not limited to, a stove, refrigerator, clothes washer, clothes dryer, dishwasher, air conditioner or a hot water tank.

Do you live in a heat island? Calculate how hot your neighbourhood is, compared to others.

Matthew Lawson, a manager in the Healthy Environments Division of Hamilton Public Health Services, says this section of the bylaw is strictly for rental properties where air conditioning or appliances that are supplied by the landlord — as a term of lease — be maintained. 

"This does not require the installation where none previously existed," Lawson said. 

Altaf Arain, director, Centre for Climate Change at McMaster University, says current climate projections suggest "record warming" is in store for Canada and other countries.