The cold light of day did nothing to flatter the facade of 500 Dawes Rd., a fading 15-storey apartment building with a broken window here, a roost of pigeons there and bricks that are beginning to crumble.
It was a fitting place to make a point, as city inspectors, politicians and reporters spent a few hours yesterday surveying what frustrated tenants say they have endured for years.
The point was this: Life is getting worse in many of the city's aging, low-rent apartment buildings, where tenants of modest means face increasing financial pressure amid deteriorating living standards.
In an effort to stop the slide, city officials are turning up the heat on landlords who let their properties fall into disrepair, lest Toronto see a reduction in the supply of much-needed affordable housing. To that end, the licensing and standards division launched a targeted enforcement program this week, in which a special team of inspectors will audit buildings, issue work orders and take complaints directly from tenants who visit their mobile office.
