Repairs promised after tenant hospitalized following ceiling collapses at Toronto social housing complex

Toronto Mayor John Tory is promising to address safety concerns at a public housing complex in the city’s west end after a concrete ceiling panel in a bedroom recently collapsed seriously injuring a female tenant.

The incident happened on May 27 at Swansea Mews, a 154-unit Toronto Community Housing development just west of High Park near Windermere Avenue and The Queensway.

Initially, those living in Block H, where the ceiling fell in, were relocated.

The social housing provider, in a May 27 update posted to its website, said it also offered temporary accommodation at that time to other tenants who “feel unsafe in their unit.”

On Monday, TCHC spokesperson Robin Smith told CP24 they've since made the decision to temporarily move the complex’s 113 remaining occupied households (41 units were already vacant due to previous repairs being done) to post-secondary school campuses in Toronto, including Humber College - Lakeshore, and nearby hotels as a “precautionary measure.”

He said Swansea Mews' roughly 420 residents were told last week that they’d have to vacate their units due to an "emerging public safety risk" that requires the installation of structural support (shoring) and additional testing on ceiling materials throughout the complex.

That process, which Smith said would also include transportation, food, and other supports for tenants, is now underway. So far, members of 25 households have already been moved to temporary accommodation, while those from another 30 are expected to move early this week.

"We are installing the supports as a precaution, based on the advice of engineers who inspected the buildings, as a preventive measure against the unlikely potential of another incident," he said, adding the issues at Swansea Mews are likely part of a larger problem, one that dates back to when it was first constructed back in the 1970s.

Smith, who said TCHC believes the problems found are “beyond the scope of regular inspections,” said it is not clear when exactly tenants will be able to return to their homes, but said it wouldn't likely happen until the "full extent of the cause" of the collapse is determined and addressed, including further testing and inspections. 

Tory met with Toronto Community Housing CEO Jag Sharma Monday afternoon and told reporters ahead of the meeting that repairing Swansea Mews would be “top of the list.”

He called the recent situation at Swansea Mews “very worrisome” and said the city will look into what happened.

Tory also said plans are already “well in place” to revitalize this aging complex along with funds to make it happen. He said this could take the form of either refurbishing or completely replacing the buildings in the development.

“But most importantly, we will be looking to get on with either the replacement of these buildings, which sometimes turns out to be a better thing for everybody concerned, including the taxpayers, or the refurbishment of it as soon as possible,” he said.

In a statement to CP24 following Tory’s meeting with Sharma, a spokesperson for the mayor said TCHC is working to tackle the backlog of repairs across the system but that repairs “will take years” due to “decades of neglect.”

“Mayor Tory reiterated his concerns about what happened, the importance of tenant safety and the urgency to not only address the retrofit project at Swansea Mews quickly but to move along other TCHC retrofit projects,” Tory’s spokesperson said. “He stressed the importance of TCHC communicating with Swansea Mews residents and to ensure that the residents’ safety is the top priority.” 

Parkdale-High Park Coun. Gord Perks, whose west-end riding includes the area where the complex is located, said what has happened at Swansea Mews is “incredibly disruptive.” He said the city is working with local schools boards to ensure displaced children finish the last few weeks of the year and that tenants have all of their basic needs met.

Perks said a Request for Proposals was due to be issued early next year for Swansea Mews as it had already been identified as needing “reconstruction work.”

“There have been major problems at this complex. … The tragedy of all of this is we were almost at the finish line,” he said, adding the city has struggled for more than 25 years to keep TCHC properties in a good state of repair since the province downloaded this file to them. Perks said city council has been pushing hard to get financial help from the provincial and federal governments for social housing, but so far only the feds have stepped up to the plate.

The TCHC currently has an approximately $1.6 billion repair backlog. The federal government has previously committed to providing the city with $1.34 billion in funding to help address the repair backlog by 2028.

“This is a dynamic situation, with new findings and additional information coming to light on a daily basis," TCHC said in a formal update on the situation that was issued late this afternoon. 

"We are committed to providing tenants regular updates as the situation evolves and we ask for their understanding, as the latest information may change rapidly based on further findings in the community."

Tory’s office said that a community meeting is being organized by TCHC to keep tenants informed and that “multiple tests” will be performed at the building to ensure safety.