Calls for new lodging home safety regulations are on the agenda at tonight's Windsor city council meeting.
A delegation will be presenting its case for "Andrew's Law", named after 19-year-old University of Windsor student Andrew Kraayenbrink, who died in a boarding house fire at 227 Rankin Ave. in October 2016.
While the report says "the safety of residents of the city of Windsor is and always will be a top priority" it concludes new restrictions won't do anything for existing rental housing.
Administration is recommending the city "maintain the status quo" and use existing by-laws and regulations to address issues.
Andrew Kraayenbrink (Photo courtesy of Facebook)
West-Windsor resident Chris Asmar has lived couple blocks from the University of Windsor for 65-years. He says some student-rental houses have been poorly maintained over the years, dropping property value, but more importantly, some have been unsafe.
Asmar wants Windsor to set up a registry.
"A registry like they have in other cities in Ontario, Waterloo, London, Oshawa," says Asmar. "The landlord, before he can rent it out, it's got to be registered with the city. They have a fire inspection, a building inspection, where the student can safely live in that house."
Other types of residential conversions have also been regulated, he added.
"We have a provincial standard for nursing homes that have been converted from family homes in the past, they have to maintain certain safety standards," says Asmar. "Why is this city penny-pinching to maintain the safety of these new-rental homes that used to be family homes?"
Asmar says the city is claiming the move would be too costly.
"We want these homes regulated, it's a small licence fee to help the city pay for the cost. It's not 100% of the cost and we've got councillors more dollar conscience about cost, rather than the safety of the people who live in these houses."
"The issue is city-wide, the area near the university is just a prime example of unsafe, unregulated housing that is all over the city," says Asmar.
Kraayenbrink's family members will be in attendance for tonight's meeting.
— with files from AM800's Teresinha Medeiros.