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City uncertain of shelter costs; says resident health and safety is priority

Residents of 1616 Ouellette Ave. have been out of their apartments since Monday evening because the building lacked heat and electricity. (TJ Dhir/CBC - image credit)
Residents of 1616 Ouellette Ave. have been out of their apartments since Monday evening because the building lacked heat and electricity. (TJ Dhir/CBC - image credit)

The city of Windsor does not yet know how much it is costing to keep an emergency shelter for the roughly 40 residents evacuated from 1616 Ouellette Ave. earlier this week but it is tracking its expenses.

"Our number one priority continues to be the health and well being of these displaced residents and the city has been working around the clock at this temporary shelter to ensure their needs are being met," said Andrew Daher, the city's commissioner of Human Health Services.

Residents have been living at the shelter since Tuesday after their apartment building was evacuated by the city because it lacked electricity and heat.

The shelter, which is located at the John Atkinson Memorial Community Centre, is being operated by the Red Cross and will be open as long as is needed, the city said.

Douglas Kwan, director of the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario said that the costs could be added on to the owner's property taxes, however, that's unlikely to happen unless there is strong demand from the public to do so.

"Municipalities are really very reluctant to put the cost... these type of emergency services on to property taxes for owners but I don't see any choice in this particular situation," he said.

"It's going to be a significant cost on municipal services and so it's only right and fair that the landlord should pay for those additional services because they failed to do what was required of them under the law."

Jennifer La Grassa/CBC
Jennifer La Grassa/CBC

In a news release Friday, the city confirmed the building's property management team is working with local contractors to make repairs.

Earlier this week, the building's project manager told the CBC it would be at least eight months before tenants could move back in as several renovations need to happen.

More shelter space

Rukshini Ponniah-Goulin, executive director of the Downtown Mission, said that she was notified by the city, along with other shelters, to prepare the possibility of more people needing space but so far they haven't received anyone.

She said that things like these don't happen all that often and worries about the situation with the cold months ahead.

"With it being winter, it's not ideal timing because we're already close to capacity if not at capacity most nights," she said.

"Please take care of your buildings, please take care of your people because our emergency shelters are here for people who don't have homes."

"We try to get people housing and when they find those housing locations we hope their landlords will take care of their buildings and their units so that they won't have to come back to shelter," Ponniah-Goulin added.

CBC has reached out to the owners of 1616 Ouellette Ave. several times this week but has not received any comment.