Mindy Caterina

The appellant, a residential tenant with a mobility disability, installed a chairlift on a shared interior exit stairway.

The local fire department issued an inspection order requiring its removal, citing a violation of the Ontario Fire Code requirement that means of egress remain free of obstructions.

The appellant appealed to the Fire Safety Commission, arguing the chairlift was necessary for accessibility and did not impede passage.

The Commission upheld the order, finding that the chairlift significantly reduced the stairway width and constituted an obstruction that could delay or impede occupants and firefighters during a fire emergency.

The compliance date was extended to allow the appellant time to find alternative accommodations or propose an alternative solution.

The appellant appealed a Notice of Removal issued by Animal Welfare Services (AWS) under the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act, which resulted in the removal of several exotic and domestic animals from his zoo.

AWS inspectors and a veterinarian found the animals were kept in a barn with inadequate ventilation, high ammonia levels, and poor sanitary conditions.

The adjudicator dismissed the appeal, finding that the animals were in distress as defined by the Act and that the Notice of Removal was properly issued based on a veterinarian's written advice that removal was necessary to alleviate their distress.

The appellant appealed a 2021 Inspection Order and an Authorization to Close issued by Toronto Fire Services regarding a residential building.

The Fire Safety Commission rescinded the 2021 Inspection Order and the Authorization to Close, finding them redundant because a previous Commission order requiring the same work was still in effect.

The Commission also found that the appellant was not in violation of the previous order at the time of the inspection, as the number of tenants in the upper unit had been reduced below the threshold required for the Fire Code's rooming house provisions to apply.