Hot weather in Manitoba spurs calls for air conditioning in apartments

The hot weather in Manitoba is spurring calls for air conditioning in apartments and advocates are recommending building code changes.

According to Environment Canada, there were 22 days above 25 C this month and if people live in places without air conditioning it can actually be hotter inside than outside.

Avrom Charach from the Professional Property Managers Association says it can be extremely costly for landlords to replace older systems where the AC has to be manually changed over from the furnace and vice versa. “In order to create a system where you can have both you have to basically add a second system, an additional set of plumbing which (costs) hundreds of thousands, probably.”

A lot of older buildings likely don’t have AC and Charach suggests a change to building codes would ensure all new properties come with air conditioning.

“Then you are constructing a building having a fairly good idea of what it’s going to cost you to construct that building and what you’re going to charge for rent to recoup your costs over a reasonable amount of time, so I don’t see that being an issue with new construction having air conditioning.”

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He says most places built before the 1970s are likely scorching this time of year and even if it has been added in recent years, air conditioning won’t flow efficiently.

3:11 How the body reacts during extreme heat

Tara Smith, owner of Mr. Furnace, says there should be rules around the maximum temperature for buildings in the summertime as it could cause adverse health risks for hundreds of people down the road.

“There’s no law for homes at all, for any requirement to put air conditioning and indoor air quality.”

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“We have had longer periods of hard-to-handle heat where there’s just been no reprieve and there’s no way around that without air conditioning.

“There should be some rules because as our climate is changing; when you have five days of plus-30 C how do you ventilate or cool a building down that holds 100 people or 200 people?”

Smith says most of the people who suffer in the heat indoors during the summertime are renters because those who own their homes will invest the money to make them more livable.

In the meantime, people can cool down with a portable air conditioner but Smith said it’s not the best option because it doesn’t circulate around the whole room.

“A portable unit luxury is you can move it from room to room, as long as that room has a window that you can exhaust through a window unit,” she says.

“Though once you pick that window, it’s good for that room and it’s hard to get that air to circulate out into other rooms, so that becomes a restriction with those.”

Anyone who finds their home unbearable in the heat is advised to go to public spaces in the city, such as libraries and community centres, to cool off.