Low-income renters in Toronto counting on maximum heat policy before summer

For Fariza Sultany, climate change isn’t just a global crisis — it’s a visceral reality within the walls of her sweltering Toronto apartment. Barred from installing air-conditioning at home, she survives the hottest summer days by fleeing to public air-conditioned spaces and taking cold showers. 

“Each summer feels hotter than the last,” Sultany said. “Even with fans running, it’s almost impossible to stay cool. For people like me, with health issues, or families with small children, and seniors, the heat is dangerous.”

She’s not imagining things. Rising temperatures and intensifying heat waves are creating unprecedented cooling demands in Toronto’s buildings. A recent city report revealed a 17.3 per cent increase in cooling needs over the past three decades, alongside a rise in the number of extremely hot days exceeding 30°C.

But Sultany lives in low-income Toronto Housing where air conditioners can’t be installed on windows without a balcony for safety reasons.

As a mother of two grown children, aged 23 and 21, Sultany says her only cooling option is a floor model air conditioner. However, as a low-income resident, she cannot afford to purchase one.

“This past summer was very hot,” Sultany said. “When it gets too hot, we go to libraries or other cool places. I take cold showers to cool off.”

Advocates have long pushed for a maximum heat standard, prompting Coun. Shelley Carroll to introduce a motion in summer 2023 for an adequate temperature bylaw, which led city council to direct staff to investigate.

Canada's National Observer reached out multiple times to Carroll for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.

Sultany, a volunteer at Toronto Environmental Alliance, has a lot riding on a city council vote on Tuesday that aims to address these challenges and protect tenants like her in apartments without air conditioning. The city’s planning and housing committee approved a staff report last week, recommending adoption of the city’s first maximum heat bylaw, aimed at reducing health risks.

City law mandates a minimum temperature of 21 C in winter but lacks a similar rule for cooling in summer. While air-conditioned apartments must stay below 26 C, this standard doesn’t apply to units without air conditioning.

The proposed bylaw, which will go before city council on Dec. 17, would require landlords to maintain indoor temperatures in rental units below 27 C. If approved, the regulation will take effect on April 30, 2025, in time for summer.

Advocates note that such a bylaw, covering all residential units, would be the first of its kind in Canada.

Toronto has considered it before. In 2018, Toronto city staff declined to recommend a maximum apartment temperature requirement, citing concerns about potential rent hikes, costly retrofits, and added strain on the city’s limited electrical grid.

The latest emissions inventory report highlights a five per cent rise in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2022, with increased cooling demands playing a significant role. The report warns that without urgent action, the city is unlikely to meet its 2025 climate targets.

“It’s imperative that everyone has access to air conditioning,” said Christena Abbott, a senior and member of the tenants' rights advocacy group ACORN. “I know some people say they don’t need it, but the past few summers have been so hot that people are passing out. It’s not safe for anyone.”

Abbott, who only managed to get a floor unit in her building in September, recalls years of living without cooling at her previous address. “I have asthma, and during that first summer, I spent a lot of time in the emergency room because I couldn’t breathe. Eventually, I got a window air conditioner,” she said.

However, Abbott said a few years later, the city mandated that window A/C units could not be installed unless supported by a balcony. “That rule came after a tragic incident when a little girl was killed by a falling air conditioner," Abbott said. “For those of us without balconies, this meant we couldn’t use window units anymore.”

Abbott is now advocating for the city to provide air conditioning for low-income residents, emphasizing its necessity for health and safety.

A city spokesperson said Toronto is already grappling with more frequent and prolonged heat waves that stretch beyond traditional seasonal norms. The maximum indoor temperature standard aims to prevent heat-related harms, while balancing housing affordability, decarbonization, public health and stakeholder perspectives, the city said.

Sultany is counting on the policy to combat the extreme heat she lives in — heat she believes is a result of city planning decisions, like removing trees and green spaces that help cool cities. 

“I really hope they pass this,” she said.