A 94-year-old Toronto woman with a disability is considering taking her landlord to the Ontario human rights tribunal. Mary Taylor says she won’t be able to access her 12th floor apartment while the elevator is being repaired. The senior, who has spinal stenosis, has lived in her building near Eglinton Avenue East and Bayview Avenue for more than 40 years. She’s unable to walk without a walker so the stairs are not an option. The woman asked her landlord to accommodate her by paying her rent or a portion of it while she stays elsewhere but they refused. Annie Hodgins, project manager with the Centre for Equality Rights and Accommodation, says not many people realize the Ontario Human Rights Code covers housing. Hodgins was surprised to hear back from the property management team of the building, calling Taylor’s request a “cash grab” arguing that all residents will face comparable challenges in scheduling their lives around while the elevator is repaired.

Mary Taylor
PHOTO: CBC NEWS