'That's not true': Preston Group

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Mayor David Miller blasted the Preston Group, owners of the apartment building at 2 Secord Ave. in East York for what he characterized as going back on a promise to let tenants displaced by the electrical explosion there this summer out of their leases without penalty.

The owners have denied ever making the promise to tenants.

But Miller said in a news conference that tenants at the East York building had every reason to be upset.

"I think the tenants should be upset with their landlord," said Miller.

"The landlord had promised to let people out of their leases and went back on their word almost immediately."

Miller said the situation reminded him of his own childhood spent in a highrise slightly smaller than the 22-storey structure at 2 Secord Ave.

"I have a lot of sympathy with them. I grew up in an apartment building like that - a little bit smaller. But that's your home. It's their home," he said.

"I went out the night of the explosion and fire and talked to people, and the city has done everything possible to help people there including to house them."

Miller made the comments as city inspectors were taking a final pass through the building before pronouncing it safe for tenants to return Friday.

The tenants had been literally put out of their homes following the explosion and fire in the building's electrical system on July 20.

The city has been providing temporary housing to more than 100 displaced tenants while others stayed with family and friends until the building could be deemed safe.

Earlier this week, the buildings' owners had concluded they'd made the necessary repairs. That was the point at which the question had arisen as to whether the Preston Group had promised to let tenants out of their lease agreements if they chose to leave in the wake of the explosion and its aftermath.

Danny Roth, Preston Group spokesperson, said it was never the landlord's position to let residents out of their leases.

"That's untrue," he said. "There was no agreement."

Roth was responding to comments made by Ward 31 (Beaches-East York) Councillor Janet Davis in mid-August that residents were upset the landlord had "reneged on their commitment" to let residents out of their leases.

Tenants still on the first year of their leases are required to stay until the lease is up for renewal, while those on month to month leases can leave if they give the required 60 days notice.

"No one is standing in the way of that happening," Roth said.

Residents were out of their homes for 40 days following the explosion and fire.

Roth said the focus has been on doing the cleanup and repairs to get residents back into the building as quickly as possible.