'These are my legs:' Windsor resident, housing corporation at odds over mobility scooter storage

A Windsor resident has been in a years-long battle over parking her mobility scooters in the hallway of her building — something the building owners don't want to allow because it violates the fire code. 

For more than a decade, Claudia Stillman has been a resident at 860 Mercer Street in Windsor, which is run by the Windsor-Essex Community Housing Corporation (WECHC). She said that for several years, she was able to keep her two mobility scooters parked in the hallway.

But recently, Stillman says that a change in building management has led to notices from the corporation, telling her that she can't keep the scooters outside of her apartment as they pose a fire hazard. 

In a hand-delivered letter that Stillman received on March 25, WECHC said if she doesn't comply and remove the scooters within a week, they will pursue "legal channels." 

CBC News has seen the notices and letters WECHC has handed out to Stillman. 

"They are my legs, they are my freedom, they are my shopping, this is my transportation. This is everything — this is part of my body," she said. 

Stillman told CBC News that she needs both scooters to get around. The smaller, secondary scooter is used when she visits certain buildings and in case her main one has to be serviced. 

She said she can't store them inside her unit, as the entrance-way is tight and she's previously damaged the walls by trying to get them inside. 

"I don't want a legal battle," she said. 

"This community housing corporation is supposed to be for the people, not against them, especially the handicapped. It's not right." 

WECHC's public affairs manager Kari Schofield told CBC News that the scooters are a fire hazard and go against the provincial fire code, which is why the building requires all residents to store all personal items, including doormats and bikes, inside their apartment. 

While the scooters may have previously been allowed, Schofield said recent inspections by Windsor Fire Services have found that they cannot be left in the hallway. 

"We have always done our best to accommodate Ms. Stillman and her particular situation. We're not trying to restrict her access, we are just asking [her] to do what all other residents are required to do," Schofield said. 

Windsor Fire's chief fire prevention officer Mike Coste is familiar with Stillman's case and said he has "zero tolerance" for violations of the fire code.