While politicians talk about 'accelerator funds' and modular housing and rezoning, low-income families struggling to afford the basics are left with few choices. With few options, Cory Hamilton and his family are living in a leaky, mould-covered apartment.In the first week in his family's new apartment, Cory Hamilton was awakened in the middle of the night by water dripping onto his bed.
He eventually realized the water was coming through the side of the building. He immediately complained to the local property management company, which oversees things for the building's owner, AEY Industries, Ltd., which is listed on property records as being located in Amherstburg, Ont. Jeff Levy, the founder of AEY has not responded to interview requests.
After building houses for more than a decade, Hamilton knows what to look for. But he wasn't expecting what he saw — three separate ceilings, one on top of the other, and a completely rotted support beam at the front of the building. With four children between the ages of five and 16, Hamilton is also worried about his family's health. He said his six-year-old son has been sick more in the last six months than he has in his entire life.
The province eventually issued a compliance order to fix the leak and the mould problem, but the deadline of March 29 has come and gone without any of the work being done. He said "we're committed to fixing it" and said they're currently working with the owner's insurance company. He said he put in a "drop ceiling" about 15 years ago because of a "plumbing issue" in the kitchen. He also said he put a new roof on the building while he owned it.