Investigation underway after gym ceiling collapses in new Toronto condo building

Part of a ceiling collapsed inside the gym of a Toronto condominium this week and an investigation is underway to determine what happened.

The incident came to light after photos circulated through a Reddit post online involving a new condo located on St. Clair Avenue West near Old Weston Road.

The photos show the inside of a gym with the ceiling and insulation on top of gym equipment, including a treadmill and a bike.

A spokesperson for the developer Diamond Kilmer Developments told Global News there was an “incident” at the condo on Wednesday “in which a finishing detail in the design of our fitness facility became dislodged from the ceiling.”

“As the incident appears to have resulted from the failure of a design element,” said the spokesperson, who added no one was injured in the incident.

It is unclear if any condo residents were inside the gym when the ceiling caved in.

“I had used the gym the day prior. And my girlfriend was using it pretty much every day in the previous weeks so it’s kind of concerning for sure,” said resident Daniel Sarunas.

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The City of Toronto told Global News that the incident occurred in an area of the building that “should not be accessible to the public, as the City of Toronto has yet to provide authority to occupy that space.”

A statement provided by Danny Roth, a spokesperson for Diamond Kilmer Developments, said engineers continue to advise there is no concern about the structural integrity of the building or the residential units.

“However, out of an abundance of caution, our common areas will remain closed pending further investigation into the failure of a design feature in the ceiling of the fitness facility,” Roth said.

“Discussions with our Construction Manager, engineers, architects and city officials remain ongoing to confirm that the space was operated appropriately, despite a pending HVAC approval – a condition that was not relevant to the structural integrity of the space, life safety systems, or to the incident earlier this week.”

As this situation remains “fluid,” Diamond Kilmer says it is keeping residents informed, while “providing assurances that we are not aware of any additional safety or structural concerns.”

Residents, meanwhile, are demanding answers. “We have a trail of communications that says a city inspector came by to investigate and do their inspection, and it passed, and that we’re allowed to go in the gym,” said Saruna.

“So, the fact that that happened around Sept. 10 or 11 and we were able to be in there that long, and that was their statement? Someone’s at fault here.”