Downtown Edmonton resident deals with heat woes during extreme cold: ‘It’s not livable’

An Edmonton man says he’s been forced to move out of his downtown condo building due to ongoing heating issues, as the temperature in the city dips below -30 C.

Curtis Thorne said the common areas in the New Cambridge Lofts on Jasper Avenue and 100 Avenue are very cold and the cold air has been blowing into the suites. He said no matter how high he turns up his thermostat, his unit is unlivable.

“It’s very uncomfortable up there. It’s definitely not livable. The clothes I’m wearing now outside, they are the clothes I wear inside,” he said from outside the building Saturday. “You can’t walk on the floor with your bare feet or socks and it’s not livable. So that’s why I’ve moved out temporarily.

“One of the tenants had their thermostat set at 15 degrees and she said the digital thermostat is only showing three degrees so we complained.”

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READ MORE: Edmonton dips below -30 C for 1st time in 2017

Pinnacle Realty and Management, the building’s property management company, said it is in touch with the board of directors but declined further comment.

Myles Chykerda, treasurer of the condo board of directors, told Global News the makeup air unit on the building’s roof broke down a couple of days ago. The “unexpected failure” is affecting the ability to heat in the common areas, he explained, adding “various units have some air leakage problems.”

The repair will require a crane, Chykerda explained, and the board has been working with contractors in hopes of fixing the problem. He said he doesn’t have an estimated time for when the problem will be fixed.

“I’m extremely frustrated with the situation along with everyone else,” he said. “I will certainly be on the phone with Pinnacle and see how fast we can get this up and running.”

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There are 219 units in the building, but it’s not known how many are affected by the heating issue.

Thorne, who returned home Saturday to pick up a few more personal items, rents his unit and said his landlord and has been very helpful in trying to get to the bottom of the issue. He just hopes the problem is fixed sooner than later.

“I’m lucky to have her, to go to her place,” Thorne said of his friend. “I don’t know what other people are doing.

“I just hope that this gets fixed very quickly.”