Tenant group renews call for maximum heat bylaw as Ottawa braces for hot summer

As another scorching summer settles over the nation’s capital, a tenant advocacy group is renewing its urge the city implements a maximum heat bylaw to protect tenants from unsafe indoor temperatures. A new report from ACORN found that in Ottawa, close to half of low-to-moderate income tenants lack air conditioning, largely due to affordability. Fifty-four per cent reported extreme heat as their top housing issue. ACORN is calling for a bylaw that caps indoor temperatures at 26 C, similar to minimum heat requirements in winter. The City of Ottawa currently mandates landlords maintain heating at 20 C during the day in colder months but has no regulation setting a maximum temperature during the summer.