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Two elderly people displaced by a suspicious explosion in their London apartment building are being accommodated by their landlord in accommodation without heating or furniture, as a city order to carry out repairs has come and gone.
Lynn Buckingham, 72, her roommate Doug Shearing and other displaced tenants were hosted by the Red Cross at a city center hotel for a week after the New Years fire at 1182 Adelaide Street North.
They were told to check Friday, with Medallion Corporation, the Toronto-based property management company that owns the building, on an order from the City of London to make the units habitable on the same day.
That deadline had come and gone on Saturday with Buckingham and Shearing cold, sleeping on the floor and wanting answers.
“Get us back to a hotel, motel, something until it’s done, because it’s not right,” Buckingham said.
Medallion has put the roommates in an empty unit in an adjacent building. They say the heat is not working and they have resorted to the oven to warm up. They also received a portable heater which, according to Shearing, is “so small it won’t do anything.”
“And [Shearing has] i have so much arthritis. I have a little and sometimes I have difficulty walking. My hip is going to give in so it’s a nightmare for us, ”Buckingham said.
CBC News contacted Medallion Corporation, but a spokesperson said Friday there was “no comment at this time.”
Meanwhile, London Police are investigating the blast and said on Friday that no charges had been laid.
A safety notice is posted on the Adelaide Street building that says it is dangerous to residents due to the explosion.
“Building components damaged by the explosion include, but are not limited to, walls, ceiling, fire partitions and life safety components,” the advisory said.
“Corrective measures” were to be taken before January 7 to “make the building safe”.
Buckingham and Shearing were allowed to return to their units, accompanied by a Medallion employee, to collect their belongings.
They were told they could move their beds to the new unit on their own, Shearing said. Their original unit is on the ground floor in a different building and they are now on the sixth floor. Shearing says moving the beds this distance is not possible in their condition.
According to the roommates, there is no damage to the apartment that they can see, but they have no answer on the types of repairs needed.
“I don’t know if they’re done, they’re still working on it. Trying to get information sometimes is like pulling teeth,” Buckingham said.
They say they were not given a date to return home, although they say they paid the rent for the month of January.
