SEPT 3, 2018, 5:30 PM UPDATED

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By now, you have heard about the fire that occurred at 650 Parliament on August 21, which forced all tenants to leave the building. Smoke damage was substantial, and our work crews will start the heavy restoration work on Tuesday, September 4. 

Tenants are now being escorted back into their suites to retrieve possessions daily from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. through the evening of Monday, September 3.   

IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO ENTER YOUR APARTMENT BECAUSE YOU ARE OUT OF TOWN OR HAVE MOBILITY ISSUES … 

• Call the 650 Parliament Help Line at 647-760-7339 or send an email to 650helpline@wpsq.ca and inform us of your situation. Please provide your name, phone number, apartment number and the number of people who live in your apartment. You will be asked a security question for your protection. 

• Designate someone to act for you. 

• Inform that person that he/she will have to register and sign the waiver form at the Wellesley Park Square Response Office at the back of 260 Wellesley before entering 650 Parliament. 

• Let that person know that he/she will have to produce photo ID at the Response Office. 

• Your designate should enter your apartment no later than 7:30 p.m. on the day chosen, as the building will be closed by 8:00 p.m.  

We will do all we can to help you manage your possession retrieval. Again, the phone number for the 650 Parliament Help Line is 647-760-7339. You can also access updates on everything we are doing to help tenants at www.wpsq.ca  

Doug Sartell 

Property Manager 

Wellesley Parliament Square

Tenants of 650 Parliament, you can obtain access to your apartments from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Monday, September 3 (Labour Day). 

As of September 4, the building will be closed to tenants for an indeterminate amount of time so that we can begin the building restoration.

Please arrive at 650 Parliament by 7:30 p.m. at the latest, as the Fire Marshal has ordered the building to be closed at 8:00. 

To obtain access to your suite at 650 Parliament, follow these steps:

1. Register at the Response Office – bring ID if you can.

2. Starting Monday, go to 650 Parliament, where you will need to sign a waiver and a Security staff person will accompany you to your suite. PLEASE TAKE ONLY WHAT IS URGENT, AND SPEND AS LITTLE TIME THERE AS POSSIBLE so that your neighbours can have their turn.  

3. As you leave 650 Parliament, sign out with the Security Guard.

All of these requirements are in place to protect the safety of everyone who enters the building. 

Thank you for your cooperation.

August 27, we know there will be a number of tenants who are anxious to get into 650 Parliament to gather personal belongings. We have arranged for more than 20 security guards to be on hand to escort you to your suites. In preparation for your visit, the ground floor and stairwells will be illuminated, and we are working on having one elevator operational, to speed up the process and make it easier for security guards to help elderly tenants or those with special needs. In addition, quality air testing will be ongoing to ensure the health and wellbeing of everyone in the building.  

For the convenience of tenants, we will provide washroom facilities, drink stations and tents for shade while people are waiting. During the first part of the week, when demand will be highest, we ask that you retrieve only essentials. For additional items, you can return later this week or next. 

Remember that all tenants wishing to access their suites will have to register and sign a waiver form at the Wellesley Parliament Square Response Office. The waiver relates only to building entry for the retrieval of necessary items, and for no other purpose. At the Response Office, a Toronto Employment & Social Services (TESS) representative will be available to discuss further subsidies to those in need, as well as someone from the Red Cross to help deal with temporary housing and other social services needs. There will also be a representative on hand from the Insurance Bureau of Canada.

The Response Office is located at the back of 260 Wellesley and will be open Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

As we move toward restoring 650 Parliament to live-ready conditions, we are making every effort to help you adjust to this temporary displacement. Thank you for your cooperation. 

The Toronto Fire Service gave the Management access to begin the restoration process on Thursday, August 23, 2018 at 22:15. 

You will have noticed a lot of activity going on at 650 Parliament, as workers have been on the scene prepping for the reconstruction that will begin on September 4. 

Equipment such as power dryers, cider box air purifiers and air scrubbers have been dropped off to aid in the drying out of the water resulting in Fire Service’s efforts on August 21, as well as removing residue from the smoke that permeated the inside of the building. 

Reestablishing good air quality is a top priority, along with getting lighting, elevators and fire protection services up and running again.

Our crews are already working diligently so that when they are able to have exclusive access to the building, the heavy restoration can begin.

Q: Will units be painted in addition to  being cleaned? 

A: Once the building skeleton and key areas are repaired, we can address individual apartments. Depending on the amount of smoke damage, some units will need to be painted. The restoration team will use a low V.O.C (Volatile Organic Compound) paint, to ensure good air quality for the workers and the tenants who move back in.

Q: What types of cleaning products are being used in the restoration?

A: For restoration, an environmentally friendly plant-based degreaser will be used. For some units, a sealant paint specifically designed to seal in smoke damage might be necessary. In these instances, the restoration team will use a low V.O.C (Volatile Organic Compound) paint to help ensure good air quality for the workers and the tenants who move back in.

Q: Will insurance adjusters be let into the building before restoration begins on units?

A: Insurance adjustors will be let into the building to assess damage before restoration procedures begin in the units.

Q: How is security being handled for the restoration?

A: There are security guards on site at all times, overseeing the perimeter and interior of the building. There are also guards on stand-by to accompany contract workers through the building, relieve each other to go on breaks, etc. 

Q: Can tenants opt out of restoration?

A: All parts of the building must be fully restored before the building can be reoccupied.

Q: Has anything in the units been touched, altered or moved?

A: Floors where there was heavy smoke damage required the team to move air conditioners from windows, and sometimes furniture, in order to allow ventilation of the floors. Otherwise, contents in the unit, including furniture, clothing and possessions, will not be touched.

Click to view all FAQs

We have had numerous requests from tenants wishing to be allowed back into their apartments at 650 Parliament to retrieve more essential items. We are working on a program to make this happen on an appointment basis, but with the restoration underway and not all elevators operating, it is difficult. In addition, we have to follow safety guidelines for everyone on site. Safety is, and has been since the beginning, our number-one concern. Within the next few weeks, we hope that tenants will be able to return for limited periods of time to retrieve items. We will keep you posted. Watch the website and social media for updates. 

Residents who have tenant insurance, please bring your insurance policy with you when you visit the Response Office.

The leases require tenants to have insurance. Recently, some tenants have refused to provide a copy of their insurance policy, or insisted that they would not make claims on the policy for various reasons. 

Going forward, tenants who refuse to cooperate and provide a copy of their policy and make claims will be refused financial assistance by the landlord. Tenants were required by their lease to have insurance. Evidence of insurance was not demanded during the emergency immediately after the fire. Many persons were provided assistance by the Red Cross and the City of Toronto, during which time evidence of insurance was not requested. The landlords’ focus was on providing shelter to all those who requested and required assistance. 

However, evidence of insurance and claims on the policies will now be required. Insurance was a requirement of the lease for the protection of everyone affected by the fire.

As of today, the tenants who refuse to co-operate, this is your 7 days’ notice that financial assistance will no longer be provided in whatever circumstance you are in.

Again, thank you for your cooperation. We want our tenants to be as comfortable as possible until we can welcome you back home to 650 Parliament.

As of today, tenants are able to get into your apartments at 650 Parliament to retrieve cold-weather clothing and possibly other small items you still need. 

You can do so from TODAY through Sunday October, 28th

9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Come to the building entrance at 650 Parliament to sign a waiver and verify your Identity as a tenant PHOTO ID REQUIRED. You can make as many trips as you feel necessary, but as before, the waiver covers only one day, so a new one has to be signed every time you enter. 

REMINDER:

You will also be required to follow the safety guidelines posted previously. 

ADDRESS: 260 Wellesley Street East (at the back)

Monday to Friday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Saturday: Noon to 4 p.m.

Sunday: Closed

PHONE: 416-929-3532 Ext. 9 

Since the fire that damaged 650 Parliament Street on August 21, 2018, the owners have been providing assistance to displaced tenants. Three months have now passed. The owners have done their best to provide assistance to allow time for tenants to find other accommodations. Assistance has been provided to tenants who have found their own alternative accommodation in the GTA. Assistance will be continued to those who locate comparable accommodation, but the owners cannot continue the cost of providing hotel accommodation after November 30, 2018. For that reason, notice has been given that the owners will not fund hotel accommodation after November 30, 2018. 

If comparable unfurnished apartments are located, the owners will provide $5,000 for food, clothing and furniture. Those finding comparable furnished apartments will be assisted by the difference in the rent paid at 650 and what they are required to pay at those suitable comparable accommodations. 

The owners will continue to provide assistance after November 30, 2018. The Response Centre will remain open, as needed, to provide information and assistance. 

Yours very truly, 

The Management of 650 Parliament Street