‘It was unbearable’: Halifax tenants call for indoor temperature cap

Since a heat wave hit mainland Nova Scotia last week, Miriam Williams and her husband have been running six box fans in their high-rise apartment, hoping some airflow would help ease the feels-like temperature of 40 C.

“There’s very, very, very little that we could do about it,” she said. “It was unbearable.”

In July, Williams joined tenant advocacy group ACORN’s protesters at the Halifax Common splash pad in a nationwide rally urging government action to tackle growing extreme heat risks. While regional demands vary, they all focus on indoor temperature caps for rentals and cooling subsidies.

Williams said while healthy youth can likely endure the heat, she can’t imagine how vulnerable people are coping.

“My thought really went to all the kids and the elderly folks in our building who are very much in the exact same situation where they’re struggling like this,” she said.

She is concerned that the government is not taking action while the heat wave persists.

Christian Salmeron took part in the rally too. The heat drove him to seek an air-conditioned indoor spot to work, while other rally members are in the same boat but are not able to work remotely, he said.

Although his building’s management hasn’t explicitly banned window air conditioners, he said none of the tenants in his building have installed one — plus, they can be expensive.

Williams relates completely; she has a portable air conditioner, but rarely turns it on.

“Even running it for one night cost way too much,” Williams said. “The power bill is the real killer here.”

The protesters called for a provincewide indoor temperature cap and demanded the government stop landlords from banning certain types of air conditioners and provide financial assistance for the purchase of air conditioners.

“This is the kind of stuff that we would want to see so that people can at least not suffer from the effects of such oppressive heat,” he said.

There is no standard way of reporting how many people die from heat in Canada, but a coroner’s report in British Columbia suggested that the 2021 heat wave led to 619 deaths in the province.

In June, New Westminster in B.C. became the first city council in the country to pass a bylaw amendment requiring all rental units to maintain a safe indoor temperature averaging 26 C between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. in at least one living area, excluding bathrooms.

The provincial government said in an email statement to CBC News that it’s up to the building owner to decide on any rules regarding supplementary air conditioning units.

The statement noted that Service Nova Scotia requires landlords to keep rentals safe and fit for habitation. Tenants who are unable to resolve concerns can escalate the matter through the residential tenancies program.

Sarah Brannen, spokesperson for the Halifax Regional Municipality, said in an email response that the city’s climate action plan, HalifACT, includes a goal of preparing communities for extreme heat events.

“Municipal staff are investigating potential approaches to better understand and address indoor heat risks, including considerations related to safe indoor temperatures,” she said.

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