Glebe residents protest noisy air-conditioning system at nearby apartment building

Glebe residents protest outside of The Clemow on Tuesday, saying little has been done to quell the loud and constant drone from the air condition units of the 17-storey senior living apartment building. (Tyler Fleming/CTV News Ottawa)

Residents in Ottawa’s Glebe neighbourhood held a protest Tuesday over what they call unbearable noise from rooftop air conditioning units at The Clemow apartment building.

The 17-storey luxury senior living residence, located near the corner of Carling and Bronson avenues, has been the subject of dozens of noise complaints since the spring.

Neighbours say the continuous hum from the air conditioner has disrupted summer evenings and backyard gatherings. They note the rooftop exhaust appears to face east, toward the Glebe, carrying the sound across the neighbourhood.

“We get a whirring noise in the evenings, and right throughout the day. It’s constant. It doesn’t stop,” Glebe resident Neil Pearson said.

“It’s well above the 45 dB limit at nighttime after 11:00 and even during the day, it’s around 56 dB. We’ve had Bylaw over; they just don’t want to enforce it. The city planners are being very effective; they’re actually trying to solve the problem with the property developer and we just want a timeline executed so we can actually get back to the enjoyment of our homes.”

The City of Ottawa says its Bylaw team has received 63 complaints since May about the building’s cooling system. Bylaw and Regulatory Services Director Roger Chapman says officers have taken readings but to date “no violations have been observed,” adding that the city continues to work with the property manager to explore ways to reduce the sound.

A spokesperson for The Clemow’s owner, Katasa, said the company is working with contractors to finalize a solution and called the work a top priority.

Ottawa councillor Shawn Menard says while he appreciates the owner’s commitment to making future changes, no timeline has been provided.

“What people are asking for now is that quick action be taken,” Menard said. “Bylaw is recognizing that there are issues at nighttime with the violations associated with site plan and these are issues that we need solved, not just for now, but in the future and other residents shouldn’t have to deal with this in the future. The city’s got to get these guidelines right so that other residents in other parts of the city aren’t going to have this in their backyard.”

Jeffery Brown lives in Bay Ward and joined the protest because he wants to see similar action taken on other construction projects across the city.

“There’s another project at Kirkwood and Carling, It’s the same problem,” says Brown. “It’s another urban part of the city that is experiencing exactly the same problem. It sounds like an airplane. You know, it’s 50 dB all night long.”

Glebe residents say they want immediate action to restore peace in the neighbourhood.

“The Clemow is probably one of the most symbolic buildings where the city has failed to do its duty to protect the quality of life in both public and private space,” says Glebe resident Kim Merrett. “We’ve been listening to the noise emanating from this exposed H-vac system since early May, and no action has been taken. Even though we’ve been fighting hard with Bylaw.”