Balconies in London building where child fell and died deemed unsafe, tenants ordered to stay off
The city has ordered Medallion Corporation to repair unsafe guardrails that didn't pass inspection
Tenants of a building where a child fell from a balcony over the weekend have been told to stop using their balconies until further notice after building inspectors found unsafe gaps in the handrails.
The City of London has ordered Medallion Corporation to repair guardrails in the Lyle Street building where a young child fell and died on Saturday.
At the request of London Police, building inspectors went to 400 Lyle Street and found that balcony guardrails that had openings greater than 100 mm. That was deemed unsafe and an order was issued today to Medallion Corporation, which owns and manages the building.
"As part of the order, residents at this address are being asked not to use their balconies until the building owner can confirm that appropriate steps have been taken to alleviate the unsafe condition," the city said in a statement to CBC News.
Medallion is "working with appropriate professionals to ascertain the veracity of this assertion and remediating if necessary," George Espinola, the director of residential property management for Medallion, said in a statement.
"During the building process, all building codes were met, and City of London inspectors issued an occupancy permit."
Residents have been told that their balconies shouldn't be used until further notice, the company said.
Ontario building codes dictate that openings in guard rails must be small enough to "prevent the passage of a sphere having a diameter more than 100 mm unless it can be shown that the location and size of openings that exceed this limit do not represent a hazard."
Medallion has also been in contact with the child's family to "facilitate a change in accommodation," the company said in the statement.
Police are investigating the death but didn't release any new information on Tuesday.
City councillors held a moment of silence for the young child, who has not yet been identified publicly, during a council meeting Tuesday.
"We know this is a difficult time for the residents in the building, and for the friends and family of the toddler who succumbed to injuries this weekend. Our thoughts are with them," the city said in a statement.