Toronto may see by-law change to protect against extreme heat

The City of Toronto is considering making alterations to an existing by-law that would mandate a maximum temperature in leased residential units without air cooling systems.

Building on existing measures that require all rental apartments to be at least 21 C, the proposed amendment would set a maximum temperature of 26 C to protect against excessive heat.

Currently, residential units with air conditioning must be 26 C or cooler, but the rule does not apply to apartments without built-in cooling systems. 

The changes would also require landlords to operate air conditioning from June 1 to Sept. 30 instead of June 2 to Sept. 14, and if approved would come into effect on April 30, 2025.

The report also notes the mounting impacts of climate change, and how extreme heat threatens the stability of housing, saying that “equity-deserving and marginalized groups feel these effects most acutely.”

Toronto residents living in leased properties without cooling equipment are also disproportionately affected by disability and health conditions, which increases the likelihood of heat-related morbidity and mortality, the report explains.

It also argues that legislators should consider the lasting impacts of climate change when creating housing policy, especially as the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events accelerates.

In a statement to Now Toronto on Monday, the city acknowledged that excessive indoor temperatures are a particular concern for tenants living in leased premises and that the impacts are “intensified in multi-unit residential buildings and broadly built up urban environments.”

The looming alterations come in light of a city directive, laid out in June 2023, to examine and report back on the indoor temperature requirements in Toronto, the results of which will be considered by city council later this month.

At a Planning and Housing Committee meeting on Dec. 5, Marcia Stone, the chair of Weston chapter of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), spoke in support of the proposed maximum heat by-law and pushed city staff to expedite the amendments.

Citing Statistics Canada data, Stone said 250 Toronto residents have died due to extreme heat in the last twenty years and that the city projects that by 2050, the number of days above 30 C will have tripled.

“Seniors, low-income tenants, and people with pre-existing medical conditions are at a heightened risk of death due to extreme heat. And yet, 91 per cent of apartment buildings registered with RentSafe do not provide air conditioning,” she continued.

ACORN is urging the city to fund and launch an emergency free air conditioner program for low-income Torontonians before next summer and to accelerate its timeline to introduce the by-law, despite estimates that the earliest possible date for a draft is October 2025.

According to the city, staff will recommend a request to the province of Ontario to amend the Residential Tenancies Act to introduce a maximum temperature standard of 26 C for all rental units and include cooling as a vital service. 

Landlords are also encouraged to create a hot weather plan to help prepare and support tenants during extreme heat events.

City council will consider the amendments on Dec. 17.