By Amulyaa Dwivedi, CELA Communications Intern
As climate change intensifies, extreme heat has become a public health emergency. Yet across Hamilton, low- and moderate-income tenants are being left behind in dangerously hot homes, without access to cooling or the legal protections needed to stay safe.
ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) Canada is a multi-issue, membership-based community union of low- and moderate-income people. Hamilton ACORN’s 2022 Beat the Heat report reveals the scale of this crisis: 70% of tenants surveyed said their health or comfort was impacted by indoor heat. 22 tenants reported suffering from heat stroke inside their apartments. Over half relied on window units or fans, while 30% had no access to cooling at all—often due to high costs, landlord restrictions, or fear of eviction.
“Hamilton ACORN supports tenants by connecting them to resources, advocating for heat-related bylaws, and making sure low- and moderate-income residents have their voices heard,” says Taylor Korolenchuk, Secretary of Stoney Creek ACORN. “We’ve pushed for programs like the free air conditioner initiative and for legislative changes that recognize safe indoor temperatures as a basic housing right.”
The risks of inaction are not hypothetical. Dr. KitShan Lee, a Toronto-based family physician and faculty at the University of Toronto, Department of Family and Community Medicine, shared how one of her patients—a woman living with schizophrenia—stopped attending appointments. When the team checked on her, they discovered her apartment had no air conditioning. “It was very hot,” she recalled. “Unless someone checks on them, they may suffer and not realize that their health is being impacted by heat”.
People with mental health challenges or chronic conditions are particularly vulnerable. Certain medications make it harder for the body to regulate temperature, increasing the risk of heat stroke, heart complications, and even death. “Some people on medication don’t recognize that they’re overheating,” Dr. Lee explained. “So their bodies get dangerously hot without them even realizing it”.
Despite these serious health impacts, extreme heat is still not treated with the same urgency as other health threats. “There’s no consistent reporting on heat-related deaths or illnesses and so we don’t emphasize it enough even within healthcare” shared Dr. Lee.
ACORN’s 2023 national report, Crumbling Apartments in a Warming World, further outlines how outdated rental housing, lack of cooling infrastructure, and energy poverty are compounding this crisis. Tenants are not only forced to bear the brunt of rising heat but are also facing unfair energy costs, increased rental costs associated with Above Guideline Rent increases for renovations, and illegal fees for using air conditioning.
These conditions violate basic human rights to health, safety, and dignity. Yet Hamilton has no legal maximum temperature standard for rental units—unlike existing winter heating standards. ACORN, along with CELA and other allied organizations in Hamilton, is urging the City of Hamilton to implement a 26°C maximum heat bylaw in rental units and increase access to funding for cooling devices.
As Dr. Lee emphasized, real change comes from collective effort: “It’s heartening to know people are working from all different lenses—health, housing, policy—to take care of each other.”
Extreme heat is not just a weather event—it is a justice issue. In the face of worsening climate impacts, safe indoor temperatures and cooling infrastructure must be understood as a legal right. Governments at all levels must act now to protect vulnerable tenants and update laws and policies to reflect our warming world.
Blog: Too Hot to Live – The Fight for Cooling Rights in Canada’s Rental Housing
This is the second in a series of blogs looking at the impacts of extreme heat on different vulnerable communities. The first blog looked at impacts on children in schools and child-care settings.
By Amulyaa Dwivedi, CELA Communications Intern
As climate change intensifies, extreme heat has become a public health emergency. Yet across Hamilton, low- and moderate-income tenants are being left behind in dangerously hot homes, without access to cooling or the legal protections needed to stay safe.
ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) Canada is a multi-issue, membership-based community union of low- and moderate-income people. Hamilton ACORN’s 2022 Beat the Heat report reveals the scale of this crisis: 70% of tenants surveyed said their health or comfort was impacted by indoor heat. 22 tenants reported suffering from heat stroke inside their apartments. Over half relied on window units or fans, while 30% had no access to cooling at all—often due to high costs, landlord restrictions, or fear of eviction.
“Hamilton ACORN supports tenants by connecting them to resources, advocating for heat-related bylaws, and making sure low- and moderate-income residents have their voices heard,” says Taylor Korolenchuk, Secretary of Stoney Creek ACORN. “We’ve pushed for programs like the free air conditioner initiative and for legislative changes that recognize safe indoor temperatures as a basic housing right.”
The risks of inaction are not hypothetical. Dr. KitShan Lee, a Toronto-based family physician and faculty at the University of Toronto, Department of Family and Community Medicine, shared how one of her patients—a woman living with schizophrenia—stopped attending appointments. When the team checked on her, they discovered her apartment had no air conditioning. “It was very hot,” she recalled. “Unless someone checks on them, they may suffer and not realize that their health is being impacted by heat”.
People with mental health challenges or chronic conditions are particularly vulnerable. Certain medications make it harder for the body to regulate temperature, increasing the risk of heat stroke, heart complications, and even death. “Some people on medication don’t recognize that they’re overheating,” Dr. Lee explained. “So their bodies get dangerously hot without them even realizing it”.
Despite these serious health impacts, extreme heat is still not treated with the same urgency as other health threats. “There’s no consistent reporting on heat-related deaths or illnesses and so we don’t emphasize it enough even within healthcare” shared Dr. Lee.
ACORN’s 2023 national report, Crumbling Apartments in a Warming World, further outlines how outdated rental housing, lack of cooling infrastructure, and energy poverty are compounding this crisis. Tenants are not only forced to bear the brunt of rising heat but are also facing unfair energy costs, increased rental costs associated with Above Guideline Rent increases for renovations, and illegal fees for using air conditioning.
These conditions violate basic human rights to health, safety, and dignity. Yet Hamilton has no legal maximum temperature standard for rental units—unlike existing winter heating standards. ACORN, along with CELA and other allied organizations in Hamilton, is urging the City of Hamilton to implement a 26°C maximum heat bylaw in rental units and increase access to funding for cooling devices.
As Dr. Lee emphasized, real change comes from collective effort: “It’s heartening to know people are working from all different lenses—health, housing, policy—to take care of each other.”
Extreme heat is not just a weather event—it is a justice issue. In the face of worsening climate impacts, safe indoor temperatures and cooling infrastructure must be understood as a legal right. Governments at all levels must act now to protect vulnerable tenants and update laws and policies to reflect our warming world.
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