According to the Toronto Star, the City of Toronto will move to review the rules that require landlords to keep a minimum temperature in city apartments.
The move comes after a scorching September heat wave that saw uncommonly high temperatures in the high 20s and low 30s. City staff now have until the spring to report back to Council about possible changes to the bylaw.
Under the current rules, landlords are required to maintain a minimum temperature of 21 C between September 15 and June 1. According to councillors however, common practice by landlords is to interpret this rule to mean that buildings with centralized air should be switched from cooling to heating.
Tenant advocates say that this cannot continue in a world with extreme heat outside of normal seasonal weather. Geordie Dent, director of the Federation of Metro Tenants' Associations said: "We've had this lingering fear for years that people are going to die in heat traps. I think it's great that they're addressing this issue".
Some have suggested that the city could set a maximum temperature in addition to the minimum temperature, to better reflect changing weather conditions.
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