Wolseley building tenants without heat for nearly two weeks

Residents and commercial tenants of a Wolseley apartment block have been without heat for almost two weeks, after the building’s boiler had to be turned off for repairs.

With colder temperatures looming, tenants of the eight-unit complex at 875 Westminster Ave., just west of Arlington Street, are hoping the heating system is fixed soon.

“For the last four or five days, they keep saying hopefully tomorrow,” a tenant, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity, said Friday. “It’s been a bit chilly. I’ve been layering up.”

The woman said the boiler problem has been more of an inconvenience than anything. She has been running small space heaters, provided by Thorwin Properties, to stay warm.

“I’m slightly worried about my Hydro bill,” she said.

A Thorwin Properties official did not respond to a request for comment. The company emailed an update to tenants Friday afternoon.

“We’re close to completing the repair and are just waiting for the final part to be installed before we can begin testing,” said the email, which was obtained by the Free Press. “Our vendor will continue working on it (Friday) and into (Friday night), and barring any unforeseen issues, we expect to have the boiler up and running.”

Prairie Sky Books, which occupies one of two commercial spaces on the ground floor, reopened Friday, after being closed most days since the boiler was turned off Jan. 4.

“We just weren’t able to maintain heat in here,” said owner Aynsley Anderson, who described the experience as frustrating. “I understand there are things beyond people’s control.”

Thorwin Properties provided space heaters to the store. Anderson said she didn’t keep the heaters running overnight, when the store was closed and unoccupied, because she worried it was a fire hazard.

The temperature was 2.5 C inside the store Thursday morning.

“I had to leave because my toes froze,” said Anderson, whose store continued to process online orders. She wore a toque inside the shop Friday.

Anderson said workers who are repairing the boiler told her it would be safe to keep the space heaters turned on overnight.

Prairie Sky Books’ interior temperature was 14 C Friday after the heaters stayed on.

Anderson said she can run only three heaters at a time, otherwise the circuit breakers trip. She has spoken to her insurance provider about coverage under a business interruption policy.

Organic Planet Worker Co-op, the other commercial tenant in the three-storey building, has remained open through the boiler troubles.

Cold days and nights are ahead after recent mild temperatures. Environment and Climate Change Canada predicted a temperature of -21 C Saturday.

In an email to tenants Thursday, Thorwin Properties said the boiler was turned off Jan. 4 due to high carbon dioxide readings.

Over the next four days, the chimney and heat exchanger were cleaned, but the boiler continued to shut down during tests due to venting and back-drafting issues.

A boiler consultant was brought in Jan. 9 to conduct an assessment, the email said.

The issues continued despite several repairs being completed from Jan. 12-14. Thorwin Properties told tenants further combustion analysis took place Thursday to try to identify the problem.

“We truly appreciate your understanding as we continue working toward a full and safe resolution,” the email said. “Restoring heat remains our top priority, and we are taking every necessary step to move this forward.”

The Residential Tenancies Branch had not received any complaints about the situation as of Friday afternoon, a provincial spokesperson said.

Landlords are responsible for ensuring temperatures in rental units meet minimum requirements. If a landlord fails to do so, tenants should contact their local environmental health office.

Rental properties must maintain a temperature of at least 21 C during the day (7 a.m. to 11 p.m.) and at least 18 C overnight (11 p.m. to 7 a.m., according to the City of Winnipeg’s neighbourhood liveability bylaw.

The bylaw requires heating systems to be maintained in a safe and good working condition.

“Tenants may also contact the RTB for assistance, if the landlord refuses to make the necessary repairs or if the repairs are not being completed in a timely and reasonable manner,” the provincial spokesperson wrote in an email. “The RTB can also provide information on the ability for a tenant to file a claim for compensation.”

A website for the building, known as The Hague, listed a one-bedroom apartment with a base rent of $1,212 per month. The building was constructed in 1910, according to the Manitoba Historical Society’s online archives.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca