As heat relief bylaw moves ahead, critics say low

London city council is a step closer to making it mandatory for some landlords to keep their units cool to protect tenants from extreme heat, though critics say that the proposed bylaw falls short of protecting the city’s most vulnerable people.

City council’s community protective services committee voted on Monday in favour of a new maximum temperature bylaw that would make property owners maintain indoor temperatures at their rental units below 26C from June 16 to August 31.

The requirement, however, would only apply to units already equipped with air conditioning (AC), meaning many low-income tenants won’t benefit from the changes, said Jordan Smith, a local leader with tenants’ rights groups ACORN.

“As written, the (bylaw) only applies to buildings that already have air conditionin