The management of a Toronto apartment building that was ravaged by fire last summer says it will stop paying hotel bills for its displaced tenants at the end of this month.In a letter posted to Twitter on Wednesday evening, the management of 650 Parliament St. said it will continue to provide assistance “to those who locate comparable accommodations, but we cannot continue the cost of providing hotel accommodation after Nov. 30, 2018.”Building resident Mark Slapinski, who is now staying at a Holiday Inn with about 100 other tenants, says the announcement caught him and many others off guard.“I’m still in shock right now. I couldn`t believe it when I saw it,” he said. “I’m just trying to figure out what to do next.”Slapinski said he’s not sure where he’ll go next, but he plans to meet with other tenants, a law firm and activist groups like ACORN to stage a protest and figure out his options.Mayor John Tory said Thursday morning that he had tried to call the owners of the Parliament St. building to urge them to house everyone left homeless by the fire.“These residents are homeless through no fault of their own,” Tory said. “I’m not blaming the landlord for the fact there was a fire but … they have insurance to cover it and they are the landlord. “In the absence of people being able to provide these people their apartments, I would expect that they will do everything they can — which I think they largely have been doing in recent months — to make sure these people are being looked after,” he said, adding “I`ll be pursuing this over the course of the day.”Tory said he understands the number of 650 Parliament St. residents who have been unable to find alternative housing is “relatively small,” and their landlord-funded apartments should be provided until they can move back into their own units or find other housing.Jack Hauen is a ...
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