Summer isn91裸聊视频檛 fun for Surrey, B.C., renter Inderjit Singh Ghuman.
It means restless nights with his wife and son in an overheating ground-floor basement suite that lacks air conditioning.
91裸聊视频淚t was really uncomfortable here in my unit. It was hot and my family couldn91裸聊视频檛 sleep in the nighttime,91裸聊视频� Ghuman said, referring to July. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 tough here on hot days.91裸聊视频�
His 18-year-old son has been struggling to study in stifling conditions in recent weeks.
Ghuman, 48, has been taking medication for anxiety and depression, and he worries that a lack of rest is making matters worse.
When he heard the B.C. government was providing free air conditioners to vulnerable people, Ghuman thought his sleepless nights were over.
Instead, he encountered a hurdle that is preventing some vulnerable people from accessing the program 91裸聊视频� the involvement of landlords.
Advocates worry that requiring a landlord91裸聊视频檚 consent to obtain an air conditioner is putting up an unnecessary barrier.
Health Minister Adrian Dix announced in late June that the government would provide $10 million to fund the purchase of up to 8,000 free air conditioners for low income and vulnerable people over three years.
The program is part of the government91裸聊视频檚 solution to prevent further deaths in response to the 2021 heat dome, where more than 600 residents died as record-setting temperatures blanketed the province for days.
Susie Rieder, a spokeswoman for BC Hydro, the Crown corporation put in charge of the program, said it received more than 2,000 applications under the scheme and 1,200 had been approved.
Ghuman heard about the program from the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), an advocacy group for lower-income renters of which he is a member.
But he realized he couldn91裸聊视频檛 apply because he doesn91裸聊视频檛 have his own BC Hydro account 91裸聊视频� his rent includes utilities.
91裸聊视频淣ow I am sad and so even like this month, there might be another heat wave coming 91裸聊视频� I think the government should consider (renters like) us,91裸聊视频� said Ghuman.
He isn91裸聊视频檛 the only one slipping through the cracks.
Another Vancouver-area tenant told of her landlord 91裸聊视频渂eing a jerk91裸聊视频� and impeding her application by trying to impose his own conditions. She didn91裸聊视频檛 want to be named for fear of being evicted.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 impossible to sleep and we don91裸聊视频檛 have a cold place to go,91裸聊视频� said the tenant.
During the heat dome, the woman said the temperature in her one-bedroom low-rise apartment rose to more than 40 C.
She escaped the heat by sitting in a friend91裸聊视频檚 car with the air conditioner turned on, she said.
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 a senior on low income, I can91裸聊视频檛 afford to buy an air conditioner and even if I could, I don91裸聊视频檛 have the physical ability to carry it, to move it,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淚 need help.91裸聊视频�
She said she thought 91裸聊视频渋t would be a simple process91裸聊视频� to get an air conditioner under the government plan.
Instead, her landlord stood in the way. The tenant said that after a prolonged back-and-forth, the landlord finally agreed to sign the consent form.
But he crossed out various sections he didn91裸聊视频檛 like, including a clause committing that the property remain housing for low-income tenants for at least one year after acceptance into the program.
91裸聊视频淗e crossed out the sections, which means that I91裸聊视频檓 not eligible because you can91裸聊视频檛 just randomly start crossing things out,91裸聊视频� said the tenant.
91裸聊视频淭hat91裸聊视频檚 really frustrating,91裸聊视频� she said, adding that many others in her building were in the same situation.
91裸聊视频淲e have seniors in this building that are in a lot more need than me,91裸聊视频� She said. 91裸聊视频淪ome of them face south and their place gets really hot. And some of the seniors are not well. I don91裸聊视频檛 know what will happen to them.91裸聊视频�
New Westminster ACORN chair Monica Bhandari said 91裸聊视频渋t91裸聊视频檚 not helpful at all91裸聊视频� for the program to require a landlords91裸聊视频� consent.
91裸聊视频淚 think it adds another barrier and possible risk to the situation because having another party having to consent, that gives a greater opportunity for them to be denied,91裸聊视频� said Bhandari.
She also said 8,000 units isn91裸聊视频檛 enough.
91裸聊视频�8,000 is like the population of maybe a really small city, like way up north or in the Interior. So how does that even make sense,91裸聊视频� said Bhandari.
The Ministry of Health referred questions to the Ministry of Housing.
Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon responded with a statement saying tenants can use air conditioners if not prohibited in their tenancy agreement.
91裸聊视频淟andlords and tenants are encouraged to work together to identify a solution that is suitable to the rental unit and property,91裸聊视频� he said.
But the statement did not address the free air-conditioner program.
Rieder said when Hydro91裸聊视频檚 contractors make upgrades to homes, the landlord91裸聊视频檚 consent ensures that the work is allowed within the rental agreement91裸聊视频檚 terms.
David Hutniak, CEO of Landlord B.C., said that it recently encouraged members to work with tenants within the program.
But Hutniak said the current online consent form has created confusion because it is the same form used for an earlier program.
91裸聊视频淭he issue that has arisen however, and one which we identified to BC Hydro at the outset, is that the language in the proposed landlord consent form is incorrect for the particular program,91裸聊视频� said Hutniak.
Rieder said Hydro is now reviewing the terms and conditions to provide more clarity.
91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e sorry to hear about this, and we91裸聊视频檙e working on providing an information sheet for landlords and updating the landlord consent form to make it clearer.91裸聊视频�
Vancouver Coastal Health said in a statement that a high percentage of people who died during the 2021 heat dome were living alone and without air conditioning.
91裸聊视频淟andlords and strata corporations can make impactful decisions to help protect the health of residents,91裸聊视频� said Emily Newhouse, Fraser Health Medical Health Officer.
91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e recommending they remove barriers that prevent residents from staying cool.91裸聊视频�
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