Some Montreal tenants have been without heat all week during bitter cold snap
Hydro-Quebec is asking people to cut back their energy consumption during the current bitter cold snap, but one building in Montreal has been without heat for almost a week causing some residents frustration.
Lynne Hostein lives on Sherbrooke St. East and is writing a novel about a woman who's struggling.
It's a subject that lately she knows all too well.
"The working title of the book that I'm working on is called 'For crying out loud,' and I really feel that sort of fits this situation. For crying out loud, get us some heat," she said.
Hostein said the heat went out last weekend.
A spokesperson for the building explained that a pipe linked to the gas furnace in the garage froze and burst, and that coupled with a power failure in the area set off a chain of events that has been difficult to repair.
"We've had teams all hands on deck working day and night including three trade vendors we work with working on-site working day and night to resolve this," said Hazelview Properties vice-president of communications Colleen Krempulec.
The common areas aren't affected and some apartments never lost heat, but for those that did, it's been a cold week.
"It's been difficult, especially at night," said Hostein. "Luckily, I have a down comforter and I just keep that over my head."
Hostein said the building gave out small space heaters to tenants, which she said didn't do much, adding that tenants were told to use their ovens as a heat source.
"Which I personally think is a fire hazard," she said.
Krempulec said they hope to have the heat on Friday in time for potentially record-breaking cold temperatures this weekend, and that back up plans are also in place.
"We have taken the initiative to procure 100 more space heaters in the event that we need to rely on that and get them out to residents," she said.
Hostein is not taking any chances and staying with a friend until the cold snap is over.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.