The owner of a small Gravenhurst apartment building has been fined $7500 in Bracebridge Provincial Offences Court after pleading guilty to two counts of “Failing to Comply” with inspection orders issued by the Gravenhurst Fire Department.
In August 2018, the Fire Department inspected the John Street apartment which contained four living units, and found a number of fire safety deficiencies, including smoke and carbon monoxide alarm issues. The inspector issued orders under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act specifying timelines to bring the building into compliance. Though several deficiencies were corrected by the landlord, the Fire Department found that several relating to a fire safety plan, record keeping and an accumulation of combustible materials had not been properly addressed and subsequently charges were laid under the Act in October.
“Building owners have an obligation to know and understand their responsibilities under the law. When it comes to the safety of tenants, the Fire Department is committed to ensuring that everyone in our community lives in safe conditions,” said Fire Chief Larry Brassard. “We have a duty to act on the complaints we receive, and are committed to doing so,” he added.
The Fire Chief stressed that the Town’s purpose is not to punish, but rather pursue safety matters to the point where buildings are brought into compliance with the legislation, which applies to all municipalities in Ontario. In most cases, where a building owner complies with orders, charges are not necessary. “In this instance, since the charges were laid, the landlord has moved the building much closer towards compliance and they continue to do so. As of yesterday, a couple of minor issues still need to be addressed and our inspector will be pursuing these in the days and weeks ahead,” said the Chief. “Failing this, additional charges may be laid,” he noted.
