Two landlords in Guelph, Ontario, have received heavy fines, and one will serve time in jail for a fire in 2024 that resulted in the deaths of two women.
It was found that the rental property located near Edinburgh Road South and Wilsonview Avenue lacked any functioning smoke alarms when the blaze started shortly after 12:30 a. m. on March 11.
The two women lost their lives after sustaining injuries from the fire.
Two other occupants managed to escape from the house and were treated at a hospital for minor injuries as well as smoke inhalation.
The City of Guelph released a statement on Thursday announcing that both landlords faced prosecution with serious penalties:
Fines totaling $37,500. Two-year probation for both homeowners. Fifty days of consecutive incarceration for one of the homeowners.
Jennifer Charles serves as the city’s general manager of legal and court services and works within the city solicitor’s office.
“Incarceration for fire safety offences is not common,” Charles said in the release.
“This result demonstrates dedication to public safety and is an example of fair justice application of sentencing principles. We hope the decision will serve as public education, showing other property owners the importance of fire prevention and life safety measures, and the seriousness of their legal obligations under the fire code.”
During their investigation, Guelph Fire Department checked all townhouses in that complex and discovered seven units either had no working smoke alarms or had removed them.
John Mc Beth, Ontario’s acting fire marshal, stated that this ruling “sends a clear message to every landlord and property owner in Ontario: you are legally responsible for ensuring that there are working smoke alarms on every storey of your properties, and outside all sleeping areas.”
Guelph Fire Department Chief Steven Goode emphasized that this “unprecedented sentence” should alert other landlords.
“Ensuring tenant safety is both an ethical obligation and a legal requirement for landlords,” Goode said.
Smoke detectors must be present on each level of a home including basements and outside all bedrooms or sleeping areas.
Starting January 1, carbon monoxide detectors must also be placed near all bedrooms as well as on every floor where there’s any fuel-burning appliance (like furnaces or water heaters) or fireplaces attached garages, or air heating sourced from fuel-burning appliances outside homes such as those found in utility sheds.
WATCH | Here’s what to look for in a carbon monoxide detector:
How to choose the right carbon monoxide detector
Carbon monoxide detectors are now required on every floor of a home in Ontario. How do you decide which one to buy? CBC K-W’s Joe Pavia went shopping at a Home Hardware store in Kitchener with Franz Tschoegl, public information officer with the Kitchener Fire Department. Tschoegl said consumers need to make sure the product has proper certification standards.
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How to choose the right carbon monoxide detector
Carbon monoxide detectors are now required on every floor of a home in Ontario. How do you decide which one to buy? CBC K-W’s Joe Pavia went shopping at a Home Hardware store in Kitchener with Franz Tschoegl, public information officer with the Kitchener Fire Department. Tschoegl said consumers need to make sure the product has proper certification standards.Source link
