Landlords convicted in tenant’s fire death

Plead guilty to code violations at three Toronto rooming houses after 47-year-old woman dies

The landlords of a Willowdale rooming house where a 47-year-old woman died in a fire last November pleaded guilty in provincial offences court to Ontario Fire Code violations at three Toronto properties.

The deadly blaze, at 177 Elmhurst Ave., was ruled an accident by the Ontario Fire Marshal. An investigation into the death led to charges against landlords Thevathurai and Balatharshini Akilan, and AKS Rental Management Inc. for “Fire Code violations related to smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, fire separations, the absence of a fire alarm system, and insufficient exiting, fire extinguishers, fire rated doors and exit signage.”

Thevathurai Akilan received a fine of $22,500 plus a 25-per-cent victim fine surcharge and court costs for the offences at 177 Elmhurst Ave. AKS Rental Management was fined $12,500 for additional infractions found at 45 Irvington Ave.; the landlords also pleaded guilty to offences at 57 Farmcrest Dr.

The maximum penalty a corporation can be assigned for each Fire Code vio- lation is $100,000, while individuals can face jail time as well as fines for some serious violations.

In an interview with the Star Thursday, Deputy fire Chief Jim Jessop called unlicensed and illegal rooming houses “a great source of frustration” for Toronto Fire Services.

“We know anecdotally that there are thousands of these buildings within the city of Toronto . . . Without a complaint or referral, we just don’t know where they all are,” Jessop said. “If we know where they were, we would certainly try to initiate a proactive inspection program.”

Local rules prohibit rooming houses in North York, East York and Scarborough, whereas they are permitted in York, and regulated and licensed in the old city of Toronto and Etobicoke.

Willowdale Councillor John Filion told the Star in Maythat illegal rooming houses were a problem in his ward.

One of the 177 Elmhurst Ave. landlords, who identified himself as the owner of AKS Rental Management and gave only the name “Akilan,” said the fire code infractions at his property did not cause the death. Akilan said he was “blindsided” when he discovered his property violated the fire code, and blamed the infractions on the age of the property, which he said was 70 years old. With files from David Rider