Rebecca Towers tenants in Hamilton detail disrepair they say contributed to COVID-19 outbreak
Published June 29, 2021 at 12:34 am
Tenants of Rebecca Towers, the Hamilton apartment tower that had a COVID-19 outbreak last month, are continuing to call out their landlord.
On Monday, Rebecca Towers residents held a rally outside of the building at 235 Rebecca St., and also shared photos on social media that document a backlog of repair requests in the 17-storey building. The apartment tower is owned by Medallion Corp., which is based in Toronto.
The residents endured a 24-day COVID-19 outbreak in May. There were 110 reported cases and one death. The building had only one working elevator for several months. The tenants also say there are several clogged vents in the building, which might have reduced airflow and contributed to the the outbreak.
Many, MANY of our neighbours report issues with vents in kitchens and bathrooms. It appears the HVAC system has not been cleaned in decades. Vents clogged with dirt. No airflow. This is likely main cause of #COVID19 outbreak that reached 110 cases and claimed one life in May. pic.twitter.com/A5ad1t8nV3
— Rebecca Towers Tenants (@RebeccaTenants) June 28, 2021
The tenants have said they want repairs completed and want Medallion Corp. to cancel a proposed above-guideline rent increase.
Today at 11AM, rally at our building, 235 Rebecca St.
We are demanding landlord @MedallionCorp fix repairs in our units and cancel a proposed Above Guideline Increase in rent. pic.twitter.com/qTguVxVGfL
— Rebecca Towers Tenants (@RebeccaTenants) June 28, 2021
At the rally, residents stated that most of their repair requests predate provincial lockdown orders that began in March 2020 after. One top-floor resident, Lloyd Smith, said he had been waiting since November 2017 to have his ceiling repaired. They said that Medallion accepted about 50 repair requests after the rally.
This morning we held a small rally in front of the #RebeccaTowers to demand that @MedallionCorp address the massive backlog of repair requests in our building. Several tenants who weren't able to attend showed their support by hanging banners off their balconies. pic.twitter.com/D5XK9NLHWo
— Rebecca Towers Tenants (@RebeccaTenants) June 28, 2021
Our neighbour Lloyd from the 17th floor showed off an antique work order request form, submitted on November 5th 2017, to fix the building's leaking roof. It was never addressed, and so for nearly four years he has had to put out buckets in his apartment every time it rains. pic.twitter.com/nvrVHtkEIq
— Rebecca Towers Tenants (@RebeccaTenants) June 28, 2021
We dropped off nearly 50 work order requests, and after some initial hesitation, Medallion staff accepted them. We emailed copies of the work orders to a number of @MedallionCorp executives and senior property managers to make sure they don't get 'lost'. pic.twitter.com/BDoGk3t978
— Rebecca Towers Tenants (@RebeccaTenants) June 28, 2021
Following the outbreak at Rebecca Towers and two other downtown Hamilton apartment complexes in May, Hamilton’s board of health has instructed city staff to check whether COVID-19 related requirements are being followed in apartment buildings around the city.
The board’s next meeting is scheduled for early July.
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