Some residents of a central Edmonton apartment building have been stranded in their units after the elevators broke down earlier this week.
Residents of the 15-storey Capilano Tower apartment building the area of 62nd Street and 101st Avenue Northwest say the building lost heat and hot water on Tuesday. At the same time, both of the elevators broke down.
While heat and hot water were restored, the elevators remained out of service Friday, leaving some residents with mobility issues stranded in their units.
“My hubby is. He’s stuck at home,” said Lois Harke, who lives on the eighth floor. “He could (leave) if need be, but it’s very difficult.”
Harke was headed out for groceries Friday afternoon and said she does OK coming down the stairs, but going up is a challenge.
“Up will be a little difficult when I come home. Hubby says keep groceries to a minimum.”
Harke said she’s spoken with a few other residents who have been stuck at home since Tuesday due to mobility issues.
Brooklyn McGrath lives on the 14th floor.
“I’m 23 and I can’t imagine what my neighbours go through because there’s a lot of senior citizens in this home. I can’t imagine them having to walk up when I struggle,” she explained.
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“I’m a student too so I usually have a backpack full of a laptop and textbooks and it’s heavy. And then having to carry up your groceries. I weighed everything I carried up and I was walking up 13 flights of stairs with 40 pounds of groceries. It’s exhausting.
“You see people in the lobby and we’re all like, ‘Are you ready for the climb?’ You have to mentally prepare yourself to go up the stairs because it’s such a task.”
McGrath has lived in the building since 2021 and said a couple of years ago one of the elevators was broken down for several months.
“It’s just frustrating that this keeps happening. I understand there’s a lot that goes into making an elevator work. When it was broken for the six months they kept saying the reason it’s broken is because we don’t have the right parts, and that was consistently the excuse,” she said.
“I’m nervous that I’m going to be walking up stairs for the next six months.”
Residents say they received a notice from the property management company earlier this week notifying them of the broken-down elevators. However, it did not include any information on when the elevators might be back in service.
In a statement to Global News Friday afternoon, Hazelview Properties said during the extreme cold snap earlier this week, a pipe ruptured, causing a flood in the boiler room, which impacted the heat and hot water. The company said the hot water tanks and boiler room are now fully operational.
The flood also affected the elevator cables, according to Hazelview Properties.
“We understand the inconvenience and difficulty that can be caused by the elevator outages. The process to restore the elevators began as soon as we learned they needed repair,” the statement read in part.
“Contingent on receiving the necessary supplies in time, which have already been ordered, we anticipate starting repairs on Tuesday with the goal of having one elevator restored by Friday, followed quickly by the second elevator.”
The company said it has provided porter services for those with mobility challenges. The porter can help residents deliver packages and bags to and from their apartment units.
“Throughout this challenging period, we have maintained open and transparent communication with our residents, ensuring they are well-informed about the progress of repairs and receiving timely updates. We encourage any resident with questions or concerns to reach out to us directly. We are here to support and service their needs.”
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