Tenants at a multi-unit apartment building in Chatham are calling for revisions to winter hydro disconnection rules in Ontario.
They question why their power and electric heat were disconnected for four hours on Thursday at a senior's apartment building at 73 Taylor Avenue in Chatham, a day before a dangerous deep freeze.
Ontario bans disconnecting residential customers in the winter from November 15 until April 30. However, multi-unit apartment buildings listed as commercial properties currently don't fall under the Ontario Energy Board winter disconnection ban, and the Taylor Avenue tenants want that changed.
Tenant Terry Wheaton told CK News Today the residential disconnection ban should be extended to commercial buildings if people live in them, otherwise it puts them at risk.
"This should be classified as rental-commercial, and with the rental, they couldn't get away with the crap they're getting away with," said Wheaton, a retired army veteran. "It needs to be refined. You can't keep killing the same horse all the time."
Entegrus told CK News Today that it "follows all Ontario Energy Board regulations, including situations where a commercial customer has tenants."
CK News Today has reached out to Chatham-Kent-Leamington MPP Trevor Jones to find out if he will push for change at Queen's Park, but hasn't heard a response yet.
