Owner of 500 Dawes Rd. fined $300K for fire safety violations
Havecare Investments Inc. and director Carolyn Krebs convicted under Fire Protection and Prevention Act.
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The company that owns 500 Dawes Rd. and its director have been sentenced for fire safety violations at what advocates call one of Toronto's most neglected rental buildings.
Havecare Investments Inc. and Carolyn Krebs were convicted and sentenced in Provincial Offences Court on Tuesday. The company was fined $300,000; Krebs was fined $20,000, plus a mandatory 25 per cent victim fine surcharge, under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act.
The building at 500 Dawes Rd. has become infamous for decades of repair backlogs and thousands of complaints related to pests, crumbling ceilings, deteriorating balconies, unsafe conditions, and poor maintenance. The extensive problems prompted a visit by Mayor Olivia Chow and forced the City of Toronto to oversee urgent repair work earlier this year.
Toronto Fire Chief Jim Jessop said the sentence highlights property owners' legal obligation to meet fire code standards.
"Compliance with the Ontario Fire Code is not optional, it is a legal obligation that exists to safeguard lives, property, and the safety of responding firefighters," Jessop said.
Krebs was also hit with $200,000 in fines in April by the Ontario Court of Justice for failing to comply with a 2024 property standards order at the same building. She has accumulated numerous fines dating back to 2017.
In addition, Krebs was convicted under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act in connection with safety violations at another property she owns at 608 Dawes Rd. last month—a sentence that carried a $120,000 fine and 15 days in custody, plus a 25 per cent victim surcharge.