Memorial commemorates those lost in Rupert Hotel fire

Memorial commemorates those lost in Rupert Hotel fire. William Bowe, right, mourns the passing of Vincent Clarke, a friend who died in the Rupert Hotel fire on Dec. 23, 1989. Mourners and housing advocates gathered on Thursday, Dec. 17 to commemmorate the 20th anniversary of the fire, which killed 10 tenants at the downtown rooming house. Staff photo/JUSTIN SKINNER

A group of housing advocates gathered at the site of the former rooming house on Thursday, Dec. 17 to remember those who died and to call for bylaw reform that would lead to stronger controls over the affordable housing option.

Rooming houses are illegal in former suburbs such as North York, Scarborough and East York, though they still exist in those areas. The fact they are not legal leaves tenants with few other housing options with few legal recourses when the buildings are substandard or unsafe.

Those in attendance at Thursday's event called on council to legalize rooming houses across the city, which would allow better monitoring of living conditions and hold landlords to the same health and safety standards as anyone else.

While the deadly fire at the Rupert Hotel was devastating, a grassroots movement has arisen following the tragedy to bring about change.

"The place was a disaster, ready to go up (in flames,)" said Bart Poesiat of the Rupert Coalition. "Today, thousands and thousands of rooming house tenants are still living in illegal firetraps in the former suburbs."

Poesiat said councillors in the former suburbs are still largely resistant to the idea of rooming houses, due largely to negative stereotypes about those who live in that type of housing.

"There's a lot of NIMBYism and a deep bias against people who live in rooming houses, but the truth is it's people on disability, racialized minorities and the working poor," he said.

Michael Shapcott, director of affordable housing and social innovation at Wellesley Central Institute, noted rooming houses can provide affordable and safe housing when they are subject to safety codes. He added, however, the illegalization of rooming houses makes another incident such as the Rupert Hotel's fatal fire far more likely.

"If we ignore the awful conditions in rooming houses and bad practices of some landlords in terms of fire safety, we're condemning people to death," he said.

Regini David of Scarborough Community Legal Services, herself a former rooming house tenant, said the maligned housing option was a lifesaver when she first moved to Canada years ago.

"A rooming house gave me an affordable home," she said. "How can a low-income single parent making the minimum wage of $9.50 an hour afford (market rent)? How can a student (on student aid) afford it? The only homes available to some of us are rooming houses."

While housing advocates are keenly aware rooming houses will always be met with opposition from some, they remain hopeful the city will finally make the affordable housing options legal everywhere in the city.

"We have optimism that our vision can, in fact, result in better housing for the people of Toronto," said Rupert Coalition chair Bob Keel.

The city will debate the issue of legalizing rooming houses throughout Toronto at its Jan. 6 growth and management committee meeting.