Ontario landlords may soon face summer cooling rules
A proposed bill would cap rental unit temps at 26C, backed by University of Ottawa heat research.
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Ontario landlords are required to keep rental units warm in winter. Now, Ottawa Centre MPP Catherine McKenney wants the same protection from extreme heat in summer.
McKenney has introduced a private member's bill that would require landlords to keep rental units at or below 26 C during summer months by adding cooling to the definition of a vital service under the Residential Tenancies Act.
The proposed standard is rooted in research at the University of Ottawa's Human and Environmental Physiology Research Unit. Physiologist Glen Kenny's team has spent years studying how the human body responds to extreme heat, finding that heat-related health risks begin to increase above 26 C — particularly for seniors and people with chronic illnesses.
Kenny's research exposed older adults to temperatures simulating British Columbia's 2021 heat dome and established 26 C as a safe upper indoor temperature limit for vulnerable adults. He noted that older adults respond to heat differently than younger people, becoming less efficient at shedding heat and storing more warmth throughout the day.
"When we expose older adults to extreme heat, they always say, 'I'm OK. I'm OK'," Kenny said. "But what you see later in the day is that they lose the ability to regulate blood pressure."
Eddy Roué, chair of ACORN's Central Chapter tenant advocacy organization, said the issue is already part of daily life for renters without air conditioning. He lives in an apartment building without central AC and installs a window unit each year. "It can make it hard to focus if you're working from home," he said.
The Ford government has not committed to supporting the bill. Housing Minister Rob Flack's office said municipalities already have the authority to implement their own rules, and that tenants will be permitted to install air conditioning units starting July 1 without facing penalties.
Queen's Park adjourned last week and will not return until Oct. 27, meaning the bill won't advance before another summer of potentially dangerous heat. For now, the research stands — and the question of who bears the cost of keeping homes cool remains.