Family relocated

[Guest guest]

Toronto Sun - Canada*

By KEVIN CONNOR, SUN MEDIA

http://torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2007/06/21/4277732-sun.html

Ann phs is relieved her landlord has finally found her and her

three children new accommodations while her apartment is being

cleaned after the family was forced to live with mould for a month.

" They (the Young Women's Christian Association, which owns her

apartment) didn't do anything until I talked to the Sun, " phs

said yesterday.

" We moved out and they started cleaning. "

The mould started growing in May when her air conditioning unit and

the one on the floor above her apartment malfunctioned and started

leaking water.

The mould grew on every exterior wall and window, the carpets need

to be replaced and the apartment smells.

After a couple of weeks when nothing was being done to solve the

problem, phs called Toronto Public Health.

On June 7, an inspector issued the YWCA with a Mould Order and eight

steps of action to clean up the apartment. The order also says the

eight steps must be completed by today.

After the Sun contacted the YWCA and ran a story on phs'

problem, the agency found her temporary accommodations and started

disinfecting the mould. phs' three children, who are all

asthmatic, were becoming sick living with the mould.

" I'm just so glad my kids are out of that situation, " she said.

The Y won't discuss the matter because of confidentiality rules,

said Joan White, director of housing for the YWCA.

She said after a tenant submits a work order, for a condition such

as mould, the YWCA would hire an environmental management company

that would assess the situation and file a report. White said the

process should take days.

Public health isn't taking action against the YWCA even though they

missed the deadline to solve the problem.