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Tenants occupy damaged Junction-area house rather than risk losing affordable housing

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Deborah Savage is standing in her apartment more than three weeks after a fire at the house, looking up at a hole cut in the wall of her living room and waiting for police to walk through the door.

The sun will set in a few hours and already frigid temperatures will plunge to extreme lows. There is no central heat in her one-bedroom unit — or in any of the five units spread throughout the red-brick, three-storey house — any electrical power comes from cords plugged into outlets in the second-floor hallway. Disconnected pipes in her bathroom mean flooding if her water is turned back on.

Deborah Savage was a resident of a property on Keele St. where a small fire forced her and fellow tenants out of their homes.
Deborah Savage was a resident of a property on Keele St. where a small fire forced her and fellow tenants out of their homes.  (Steve Russell / Toronto Star)

Her landlord says he does not want her in there, but, she told the Star, she fears losing her home.

Savage, 47, along with a number of tenants of the Junction house, returned to stay in the building after being displaced by a small fire the first week in January. They’d been staying at a hotel, paid for by an emergency city fund, but a fear of being permanently evicted in a city with a severe shortage of affordable housing has led them to return, effectively occupying their former units without the landlord’s consent.

“We are taking back our place,” said Savage, who was allowed into her apartment by the landlord the day after the fire to pick up necessities. “Homelessness is a big problem in Toronto … we can’t be put out on the street because the landlord decides to renovate,” said Savage. “It’s the middle of winter.”

Landlord David Chun alleges the tenants broke in after refusing to accept that fire damage and issues identified through subsequent inspections mean the house is unsafe.

“There are rules and laws and we are doing everything exactly by the law,” said Chun last week. If there was a way to get them back in he would, he said.

“The police department, the fire department, the fire inspector, the insurance company, the contractor, me the owner, the city and anybody who has been there,” said Chun, when asked who deemed the house unsafe.

But Savage who, like most of her neighbours, lives on a low and fixed income, said some of them would rather live in the home that is now full of holes and partially void of heat and water, than be thrown into Toronto’s rental market, which they say they’ve been priced out of.

Savage pays $650 a month and hydro is included. The average market rent for a one-bedroom unit in a purpose-built rental building in the GTA is about $1,260, according to data published by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Those figures are based largely on occupied apartments and landlords can charge what they want for empty units.

The rest of the tenants are also paying well-below average market rent.

The hole in Savage’s unit was where a strip of drywall had been cut out to expose electrical wiring and wooden studs.

“They took this off after the fire, I guess, to check for damage in my bedroom and that’s it,” said Savage, on Tuesday. One of the tenants told the landlord they were back in, she said, noting she expected he had called the police.

Chun, who signs emails John David Chun, is known to tenants as David Chun.

A fire on Jan. 7 initially displaced residents who have since returned to the house.
A fire on Jan. 7 initially displaced residents who have since returned to the house.  (Toronto Star/Steve Russell)

Savage said they weren’t able to get written proof from the city or landlord that the attic fire meant nobody could come home.

Whether the tenants can stay or will be told to go could be determined at the Landlord and Tenant Board on Tuesday.

The tenants were able to arrange an emergency hearing Friday where their lawyer argued they were entitled to possession and the landlord should restore full power. The landlord’s lawyer argued that the fire and problems found during inspections meant the house was unsafe and he has no choice but to keep them out until the house is fixed.

The board adjudicator said he felt it was best to hold off on a decision until a forthcoming city report could be submitted for everybody’s review.

The fire in the attic of the Keele St. house broke out on Jan. 7. and 10 people were evacuated from five units, including the resident of the attic who has not returned.

Heather Mackay-Lams, 36, who lives in the basement, says she didn’t know anything was wrong until people knocked on her door that morning “I was in my pyjamas, grabbed the cat … we all figured we would be back in five minutes.”

They were sheltered in a TTC bus then sent to a Howard Johnson Inn. The landlord changed the front door and two back locks the next day, they said, and told them renovations and electrical work were needed and they must collect their things.

The city office covering the cost of the hotel said their stay can be extended and no firm date had been set for them to leave.

The tenants got back in, in stages. First-floor resident John Demetriades, whose door is at the back of the house, got a locksmith to let him in more than a week ago. His insulin was inside, he said. Mackay-Lams got in through a window, something she had done a couple times since the fire. Demetriades, 60, was checking the mail on Tuesday and found the front door unlocked. So were the doors of the two upstairs apartments, the tenants told the Star.

So the decision was made to stay in rotating shifts — returning to the inn to shower and eat — to make sure they were not locked out of the Keele St. house again.

The house has not had central heating since Savage initially moved in. Four tenants told the Star they always used space heaters and blankets. Savage said using heaters is one tradeoff for affordable housing.

Savage said Chun has helped them in the past by not raising rent, and during a major ice storm that knocked out the power he provided generators so they could stay in their home.

On Tuesday, the residents say they found space heaters on the second floor and attic and one in the basement that provided a decent amount of heat. When Clinton Reynolds, 37, returned, he also found a stack of cardboard boxes and furniture pulled from the attic piled in his living room. And in his ceiling, there was a gaping hole exposing the upstairs floorboards.

Reynolds, who has a licence to grow marijuana for personal medical use, said his plants have been in storage since the fire and “suffered greatly” because of the cold.

Demetriades said the priority for residents was getting power throughout the house. “We’ll obviously buy water. For me it is going to be a cold night,” he said.

Deborah Savage was a resident of the property on Keele St. when a small fire forced her and fellow tenants out of their homes.
Deborah Savage was a resident of the property on Keele St. when a small fire forced her and fellow tenants out of their homes.  (Toronto Star/Steve Russell)

The police did come by briefly the next day, after being called by the landlord, but left after speaking with Chun’s son and the tenants.

Chun has been ordered to arrange and pay for an inspection by the Electrical Safety Authority, after the provincial body found Chun or an employee “have done electrical wiring” without first arranging for an inspection. He was also ordered to fix any defects by Jan. 23, based on a notice dated Jan. 9. A second notice, mailed on Jan. 31, warned that failure to comply is a provincial offence and a conviction could mean a fine of up to $50,000. Copies were provided by the ESA to the Star, for a fee.

On Friday, an inspector with Toronto Building visited the house and taped an “order to remedy unsafe building” to the front door. Chun must “prohibit the use or occupancy” of the attic apartment, hire an engineer to inspect the building, submit a damage report to the city, make sure urgent repair issues are addressed and obtain permits for all future work, according to that notice.

Prior to that, nobody from the city, including Toronto Fire and Toronto Building, had issued an order to shut the building down, according to Mark Sraga, director, investigation services, municipal licensing and standards.

The power was shut down and doors locked, he said, after tradespeople brought in by the landlord found problems in the house. “It is not that the city has issued any orders directing this, but the building owner knowing the requirements has acted proactively,” he said.

Deputy Fire Chief Jim Jessop told the Star that the property was returned to Chun the day of the fire and “minor deficiencies” were later found in other apartments but no order was issued to evacuate the building.

Chun told the Star he has been a landlord for two decades and provides many people with affordable housing. He owns at least seven properties, some under his name and others, including the Keele St. house are owned by a registered company — where he is listed as sole director.

He said he has terminal brain cancer, that conversations are difficult and stress could devastate his already fragile health. Some of the tenants, he said, have been harassing him. Everything he has done has been above board and legal, he told the Star.

When first contacted, Chun suggested his son could provide a tour of the Keele St. property — to show the extent of the damage — but rescinded in a text message saying the city was in possession of an engineer’s report that proved the property was uninhabitable.

He did not respond to a request to review that report or questions about prior inspections, heating issues and what tenants were told about the work.

“Stop harassing me because you don’t want to get the Star in hot water,” Chun said.

Savage said no tenant should have to go through the stress of losing their home and not being told why and said a central office or hotline could fix the problem.

By Sunday, Savage had run a power cord through a hole in her floor to Demetriades’s apartment so he could run a heater. The water was still off.

Reynolds was so stressed he said that if Chun gave him back first and last months’ rent, covered damages and moving costs he’d leave.

Mackay-Lams, who lives in the basement, found out Sunday morning that her unit had flooded.

“I don’t know if I am coming or going anymore,” she said. “I feel like the lunatics are running the asylum. I have no idea what is going on.”

Emily Mathieu is a Toronto-based reporter covering affordable and precarious housing. Follow her on Twitter: @emathieustar

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Anglais

Nostalgia and much more with Starburst XXXtreme

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Get a taste of adventure with Starburst XXXtreme based on the legendary NetEnt Game. The nostalgic themes are sure to capture fans of the classic version as they get treated to higher intensity, better visuals, and features. The most significant element of the game is its volatility. Patience will not be an essential virtue considering the insane gameplay, and there is a lot of win potential involved. It retains the original makeup of the previous game while adding a healthy dose of adrenaline. 

Starburst Visuals and Symbols

The game is definitely more conspicuous than before. The setting happens over a 5-reel, 3-row game grid with nine fixed win lines, which function if a succession from the left to the right reel is present. Only those players that that attain the highest win per bet line are paid. From a visual standpoint, the Starburst XXXtreme slots illustrates lightning effects behind the reels, which is not surprising as it is inherited from the original version. Available themes include Classic, Jewels, and Space. The game is also available in both desktop and mobile versions, which is advantageous for players considering the global pandemic. According to Techguide, American gamers are increasingly having more engaging gaming experiences to socialize to fill the gap of in-person interaction. Starburst XXXtreme allows them to fill the social void at a time when there is so much time to be had indoors. 

Starburst XXXTreme Features

Players get to alternate on three features which are Starburst Wilds, XXXtreme Spins, and Random Wilds. The first appears on reels 2,3, or 4. When these land, they expand to cover all positions while also calculating the wins. They are also locked for a respin. If a new one hits, it also becomes locked while awarding another respin. Starburst XXXtreme offers a choice between two scenarios for a higher stake. In one scenario with a ten times stake, the Starburst Wild is set on random on reels 2,3, or 4, and a multiplier starts the respin. The second scenario, which has a 95 times stake, starts with two guaranteed starburst wilds on reels 2,3, or 4. it also plays out using respin game sequence and features. The game also increases the potential with the Random Wilds feature to add Starburst Wilds to a vacant reel at the end of a spin. Every Starburst Wild gives a random multiplier with potential wins of x2, x3, x5, x10, x25, x50, x100, or even x150.

The new feature is sure to be a big hit with the gaming market as online gambling has shown significant growth during the lockdown. AdAge indicates the current casino customer base is an estimated one in five Americans, so Starburst XXXtreme’s additional features will achieve considerable popularity. 

What We Think About The Game

The gambling market has continued to diversify post-pandemic, so it is one of the most opportune times to release an online casino-based game. Thankfully Starburst XXXtreme features eye-catching visuals, including the jewels and space themes. These attract audience participation and make the gameplay inviting. The game also has a nostalgic edge. The previous NetEnt iteration featured similar visuals and gameplay, so the audience has some familiarity with it. The producers have revamped this version by tweaking the features to improve the volatility and engagement. 

That is characterized by the potential win cap of 200,000 times the bet. Starburst XXXtreme does not just give betting alternatives for players that want to go big. The increase of multipliers also provides a great experience. If the respins in the previous version were great, knowing that multipliers can go hundreds of times overtakes the game to a new level. 

Players should get excited about this offering. All of the features can be triggered within a single spin. Whether one plays the standard game or takes the XXXtreme spin route, it is possible to activate all of the features. Of course, the potential 200,000 times potential is a huge carrot. However, the bet size is probably going to be restricted and vary depending on the casino. It is also worth pointing out that a malfunction during the gameplay will void all of the payouts and progress. Overall, the game itself has been designed to provide a capped win of 200,000 times the original bet. 

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Anglais

‘We’re back’: Montreal festival promoters happy to return but looking to next year

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In downtown Montreal, it’s festival season.

In the city’s entertainment district, a musical act was conducting a sound check on stage Friday evening — the second day of the French-language version of the renowned Just For Laughs comedy festival. Tickets for many of the festival’s free outdoor shows — limited by COVID-19 regulations — were sold out.

Two blocks away, more than 100 people were watching an acoustic performance by the Isaac Neto Trio — part of the last weekend of the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique, a celebration of music from the African continent and the African diaspora.

With COVID-19 restrictions continuing to limit capacity, festival organizers say they’re glad to be back but looking forward to next year when they hope border restrictions and capacity limits won’t affect their plans.

Charles Décarie, Just For Laughs’ CEO and president, said this is a “transition year.”

“Even though we have major constraints from the public health group in Montreal, we’ve managed to design a festival that can navigate through those constraints,” Décarie said.

The French-language Juste pour rire festival began on July 15 and is followed by the English-language festival until July 31.

When planning began in February and March, Décarie said, organizers came up with a variety of scenarios for different crowd sizes, ranging from no spectators to 50 per cent of usual capacity.

“You’ve got to build scenarios,” he said. “You do have to plan a little bit more than usual because you have to have alternatives.”

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Anglais

MELS new major movie studio to be built in Montreal

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MONTREAL — MELS Studios will build a new film studio in Montreal, filling some of the gap in supply to meet the demand of Hollywood productions.

MELS president Martin Carrier said on Friday that MELS 4 studio construction will begin « as soon as possible », either in the fall or winter of next year. The studio could host productions as early as spring 2023.

The total investment for the project is $76 million, with the Quebec government contributing a $25 million loan. The project will create 110 jobs, according to the company.

The TVA Group subsidiary’s project will enable it to stand out « even more » internationally, according to Quebecor president and CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau. In the past, MELS Studios has hosted several major productions, including chapters of the X-Men franchise. The next Transformers movie is shooting this summer in Montreal.

Péladeau insisted that local cultural productions would also benefit from the new facility, adding that the studio ensures foreign revenues and to showcase talent and maintain an industry of Quebec producers.

STUDIO SHORTAGE

The film industry is cramped in Montreal.

According to a report published last May by the Bureau du cinéma et de la télévision du Québec (BCTQ), there is a shortage of nearly 400,000 square feet of studio space.

With the addition of MELS 4, which will be 160,000 square feet, the company is filling part of the gap.

Carrier admitted that he has had to turn down contracts because of the lack of space, representing missed opportunities of « tens of millions of dollars, not only for MELS, but also for the Quebec economy. »

« Montreal’s expertise is in high demand, » said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, who was present at the announcement.

She said she received great testimonials from « Netflix, Disney, HBO and company » during an economic mission to Los Angeles in 2019.

« What stands out is that they love Montreal because of its expertise, knowledge and beauty. We need more space, like MELS 4, » she said.

There is still not enough capacity in Quebec, acknowledged Minister of Finance, the Economy and Innovation Eric Girard.

« It is certain that the government is concerned about fairness and balance, so if other requests come in, we will study them with the same seriousness as we have studied this one, » he said.

Grandé Studios is the second-largest player in the industry. Last May, the company said it had expansion plans that should begin in 2022. Investissement Québec and Bell are minority shareholders in the company.

For its part, MELS will have 400,000 square feet of production space once MELS 4 is completed. The company employs 450 people in Quebec and offers a range of services including studio and equipment rentals, image and sound postproduction, visual effects and a virtual production platform.

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