Queen's students help crack down on slum landlords
Last Updated: Friday, February 29, 2008 | 3:12 PM ET
CBC News
Queen's University is joining forces with City of Kingston inspectors to make sure students aren't living in decaying buildings infested with mice and cockroaches.
Teams of inspectors, which include two trained students, a city fire inspector and a city property standards inspector, were visiting homes near the university Friday to assess the health and safety conditions in the buildings and educate students about their rights as tenants.
The Queen's student government, the Alma Mater Society, has raised concerns about the quality of off-campus student housing in Kingston through its golden cockroach awards, presented to a notably neglectful landlord.
Joan Jones, the co-ordinator of the university department that handles community relations with the city, said so-called slum landlords will receive notices immediately following the inspections.
"This is not going to be a warning situation. They will write up the order right there. The city then will follow through for the tenant," she said.
"We want to know the walls don't have big cracks in them, that banister railings are safe, that kitchen counters can be cleaned so they don't impart germs, that there aren't large holes that can allow for pests and rodents to infiltrate the house."
The inspection teams were to visit about 100 homes on University Avenue between Princess and Clergy streets and perform on-the-spot property standards assessments and fire safety audits on about 20 of them.
They planned to do similar blitzes in other neighbourhoods in the future.
Robert Reid, a landlord who won a "key to the ghetto" award from the Alma Mater Society on Feb. 13 for being an exceptionally responsible property manager, said he welcomed the new initiative.
Reid, who provides housing for about 100 students through his company Reid and Smith properties, said the publicity around poor student housing is working to encourage local landlords to improve the state of their properties.
This year, the Alma Mater Society was unable to find a winner worthy of its third annual golden cockroach award.
Share Tools
Latest Ottawa News Headlines
- Aylmer triple stabbing leads to first-degree murder charges

- The estranged partner of a young mother who was stabbed to death along with her parents at their home in Aylmer, Que., has been charged with first-degree murder Friday. more »
- Double-lung recipient dances on Ellen show
- Organ donation advocate Hèlène Campbell of Ottawa made her second appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, but her first since undergoing a double-lung transplant. more »
- Canadian woman continues tweeting her way to the top of Everest
- Sandra Leduc is taking a second run at Mount Everest's summit after a deadly storm forced her back down the mountain and killed four others on Sunday. The Canadian lawyer and government worker is tweeting her progress along the way. more »
- Teens share bullying tales in confession booth
- Raw stories about bullying emerged when a video booth was set up inside a Quebec high school. more »
Top News Headlines
- Everest victim's husband says family not seeking government help
- The husband of a Toronto woman who died trying to climb Mt. Everest on Saturday says his family is not seeking government help to cover the cost of bringing his wife's body home. more »
- B.C. premier unhappy with disgraced Mountie's transfer
- B.C. Premier Christy Clark says she is not happy with the RCMP decision to transfer a disgraced Alberta Mountie to the West Coast. more »
- Henrique's OT goal sends Devils into Stanley Cup final
- The New Jersey Devils will vie for a potential fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history after defeating the New York Rangers in six games in the Eastern final, courtesy of rookie Adam Henrique's goal early in overtime. more »
- Employment Insurance review boards to be scrapped
- The federal government is scrapping two review boards used by people appealing decisions made about their employment insurance. more »
Most Viewed/Commented
- Aylmer triple stabbing leads to first-degree murder charges
- Ottawa man in hospital after lightning strike
- Double-lung recipient dances on Ellen show
- Birds attack Ottawa joggers
- Woman pinned between forklifts in Ottawa warehouse
- Pants-pulling case draws 24 more charges
- Ottawa race weekend road closures
- Teens share bullying tales in confession booth
- Victim named in Queensway rollover crash

