Muhammad Hamza, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Pointer

On December 10, Brampton Councillor Pat Fortini walked into the apartment building at 507 Balmoral Drive. He was disgusted by what he saw. He shared his experience with his fellow councillors during a meeting the next day, and confronted the representative of the building owner standing before him in the council chamber.

“I was there last night. You’re collecting the rent…and I believe the residents have the right to be accommodated. It was pretty disappointing last night. There’s no heat, no hot water, pails underneath the sinks they have to dump in the bathtub, mildew. It reminds me of a movie 35-years-ago Joe Pesci did, The Super. It was really bad. And you don’t even have a super there.”

The 1991 film Fortini referred to features a slum landlord sentenced by a judge to live in the filthy, deplorable conditions his tenants were forced to endure.

“I was shocked last night.”

Kyle Hulme, the Chief Operating Officer of Pulis/Lankin Investments, which owns 507 Balmoral, stood directly in front of the councillor, who continued to describe the disturbing conditions to him. 

“It was disappointing last night. If I wiped my hands on the wall on the fourth floor, it was black; that was mold,” he exclaimed. “The roof was leaking, and the fans were not working. I believe the residents have the right to be accommodated while they are paying the rent.”

Fortini listed several more disturbing issues: the heating system was not properly functioning; a broken elevator left tenants stuck on the fourth floor; there was no hot water in some apartments where seniors and people with disabilities live; boilers that are supposed to provide heating were not operational; there was mold and water leakages; and the superintendent was not present in the building. (Watch video of the council meeting here.)

Hulme responded.

“Just to level set, we do have minimum standards.” 

He continued, claiming, despite the councillors experience and what a half-dozen tenants in the building have told The Pointer, that there is a superintendent on site, but Hulme acknowledged it is not a full-time presence.

He said that since the company acquired the property in 2022, $450,000 in repairs and maintenance has been spent on the building. 

The tenants of 507 Balmoral Drive have long struggled with numerous property standards issues, from broken elevators to no heat in the building, which they have brought to Brampton council’s attention during several meetings—most recently on November 3 at the planning and development committee meeting—desperate for their local representatives to do their job. 

They are still waiting. 

Pulis/Lankin Investments, the property owner, plans to demolish the building and redevelop the site. The development application to replace the existing structure with three other apartment buildings is currently under review by City staff.

During the December 10 council meeting, Councillor Fortini detailed many of the ongoing issues ignored by Hulme’s company. Pulis/Lankin Investments owns dozens of residential buildings across Ontario. 

This is not the first time these issues would have been brought to the landlord’s attention. Tenants have been contacting The Pointer about issues in the building for nearly two years. In May 2024, one resident overcome with frustration, told The Pointer they believe the landlord wants to “get rid of everybody and so they’re just letting the building fall into disrepair.” 

The City of Brampton is currently working on a bylaw that could protect tenants in such situations, and could even see stipulations put in place to ensure tenants displaced by renovations are given first rights to return to their units at a comparable price and that those units would be offered at an affordable rate. Despite a staff recommendation to approve the bylaw in November, which was supported by tenant advocates, council declined to do so, deferring the matter to a future, unknown date.  

Hulme assured Fortini the company was committed to accommodating tenants and fixing the ongoing issues in the building.

“I hear you, loud and clear.” Hulme said the company is taking action to ensure standards are being met.

“I will follow up to make sure if anything is outstanding,” he said. 

As of December 27, many of the most serious issues remained unaddressed.

On a visit to the building, The Pointer observed numerous issues related to maintenance and repairs, including a torn-off front door hinge, leaving it open, and a broken window allowing cold air to flow inside the building. While most of the heaters inside the building were functioning, some were still out of service.

Cracked and peeling paint, filthy floors and air vents, and overflowing dumpsters were also noted. 

One glaring issue highlighted by a tenant was the unlocked and vacant management office. Inside the cluttered room labelled as an “office”, the door was unlocked and items were stacked haphazardly; things like a garbage bin and a storage box were found, and drawers that contained files and documents of tenants, which should be protected safely, were left open and accessible to anyone who walked in.

“I don’t feel very good at all. I have my personal information accessible to anybody who walks into that office,” Cheryl Craig, a tenant of the building, said. 

Inside the unlocked office she showed The Pointer a file with her name on it that included all her personal information, contact and work details and her husband’s personal and banking information.

“That’s not a proper thing to do,” Craig said.

There was no supervisor in the building during the time of the visit. Craig told The Pointer the only way to reach the property manager is through a number listed on the notice board at the entrance area, and upon calling, they never respond right away.

“You don’t even know if they got (the message). If you call and leave a message, you might get a call back a day or two later.”

Since the December 10 council meeting, when Councillor Fortini questioned Hulme, Craig said only limited fixes have been made. The elevator, which was not working for a week, is now functioning, but other issues remain unresolved.

“The building is still not up to code,” she said.

While responding to the concerns raised by Fortini during the December 10 meeting, Hulme claimed that the building meets “minimum standards” and that the superintendent was on-site providing services part-time, and also said that the building “has a community manager and a property manager that services the property.”

Fortini challenged his claim: “There was no super there; they (tenants) have to call a number hoping people will call back.”

The Pointer reached out to Pulis/Lankin Investments about the property standards issues observed during the site visit on December 27. No response was received.

Questions were also sent to Drake Property Management, which handles the property maintenance on behalf of Lankin Investments, regarding the unresolved problems. 

In an email response to The Pointer, Hero Mohtadi, the Executive Vice President of Drake Property Management, explained efforts to resolve the numerous issues outlined at the December 10 council meeting. He said a third-party contractor repaired the elevator and it has been operational since November 28; there have been no complaints regarding heating issues or hot water, following the meeting.

Regarding the uncleaned carpets, he wrote that “The property does not have carpets throughout; the common areas and corridors are finished with terrazzo flooring.”

Mohtadi said a “team conducts daily property walkthrough inspections” and is supervised by a “mobile superintendent, community manager, and property manager” who visit the building based on “operational needs” during the regular business hours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) Monday to Friday.

Mohtadi did not address the unlocked “office”.

He said the broken window has been temporarily boarded to prevent heat loss, and a replacement window has been ordered and will be installed upon delivery.

“Drake takes a proactive approach to addressing concerns promptly when they are identified or brought to our attention.”

Craig said dozens of issues have been flagged multiple times by tenants without any response.

“They don’t even get back to you right away,” she said.

“We’ve complained about replacing the flooring because previously, pets in the building caused damage, and we have repeatedly asked for this to be done.”

Email: muhammad.hamza@thepointer.com

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