News

CTV News coverage of the electrical fire that occurred on Saturday:

Electrical fire at 250 Frederick Street adds to recent problems for residents

Here is a short list of meeting notes that I can recall from memory (I will try to post better meeting minutes later):

• Tenants presented work that they had done to research the proposed parking changes at 250 Frederick St. Strategies to improve the parking situation for the building were discussed.


• A tenant stated that they had spoken to building management about the apartment fire that occurred on Saturday night, and that the response from management was that the cause of the fire was of an electrical nature.


• Specific questions related to N13 eviction process were discussed.


• Various topics were discussed related to the communication methods and organizational hierarchy of the tenant community.

On July 6, 2024, just before midnight a fire started on the 17th floor of 250 Frederick St. The fire started in an apartment that, tenants say, was being occupied by one of the building's management team. I personally observed a substantial amount of smoke spewing from the top of the door of the affected apartment into the hallway. Shortly after the fire alarm went off, the fire department arrived on scene and began connecting a fire hose to the 16th floor fire plumbing connection. From there, they routed the fire hose up the stairwell to the 17th floor and began to extinguish the fire. The fire was substantial enough that one of the fire fighters initially recoiled upon entering the unit. The first fire fighter who was able to go inside the unit required full face mask protection. After the fire was extinguished, I asked one of the fire fighters if there was anyone in the unit, and he said 'no'. I have not heard of any reports of injuries at the time. The member of the building management who was believed to be occupying the unit was seen speaking to first responders about an hour after the incident started. At this time, I do not have any information about what the cause of the fire was, or the extent of the damage.

On June 28, 2024 more residents have been reporting that they received an N13 eviction notice.

On June 28, 2024 the following sign was observed posted on the front lawn of 250 Frederick Street:

On June 20, 2024 a notice was posted on the door of the garbage chute room for each floor. The notice indicates that the garbage chute is out of order, however the notice was place in such a way that many tenants didn't see it which resulted some tenants continuing to place garbage down the chute. Some of this garbage ended up bouncing into the chute room on the second floor causing a mess. As of June 28, 2024, it was observed the garbage room door had been bolted shut on all floors. I spoke with the building management who said that the garbage chute would be out of service indefinitely. Building management further stated, that a table leg had become lodged in the garbage chute which cause permanent damage that would be very costly to fix.

On June 18, 2024 tenants noticed that a permit was posted by the elevators. The notice says "Permit Is To Replace Existing Plumbing Stacks On Floor 3 To 15 In An Apartment Building." The permit number #24-110655 matches one on the city of Kitchener's public page for looking up building permits.

Several tenants are organizing a gathering that will take place in Weber Park on Saturday, June 22 at 1:30pm (Or June 23 if it rains). The purpose of this gathering is to provide tenants with a chance to chat, connect, and get to know their neighbours with no agenda. Bring your own lawn chairs, snacks, and drinks. There are a few picnic tables in the park, but
probably not enough to seat everyone.