Elevator service restored at London apartment building

Jalexa Elijah, 9, stares out the patio door of her 10th storey London, Ont. apartment on Oct. 13, 2023. Since both elevators in her highrise went offline on Oct. 5, her mother says she has been unable to leave, except for a risky effort to carry her down 10 flights of stairs for Thanksgiving. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)

The owner of an 11-storey apartment building, which was without elevator service for more than a week leaving some residents stuck in their units, says some impacted residents may receive compensation.

Management Medallion Corporation, said in an update Saturday service has been restored to one of the elevators at 625 Kipps Lane – eight days after service went out.

“We will be working closely with Schindler Elevators and Escalators to ensure that this does not happen again,” the update said. “Possible compensation for residence will be considered on an individual basis.”

CTV News spoke with residents of the apartment building, including a nine-year-old girl who uses a wheelchair for mobility and had to miss school due to the elevator issue.

Jalexa Elijah spent eight days looking out the patio door of her apartment, unable to leave the 10th floor.

“Now it has just become very frustrating. They keep telling us the next, the next day. Like how much longer are they going to say, ‘The next day?’” her mother, Jessica, told CTV News Friday.

She said a neighbour of theirs battling a knee problem rented a hotel at his own expense as he was unable to climb the stairs.

The company said the outage was not planned as both elevators had been operation without any previous concerns before a monthly inspection.

The second elevator is expected to be back up and running within the next few days.