Toronto landlord gets jail time, hefty fine after failing to comply with fire safety requirements

A Toronto Fire vehicle is pictured in this file photo. (Jorge Costa /CP24)

The owner of an apartment building in east Toronto has been sentenced to jail time and ordered to pay a hefty fine after failing to comply with fire safety requirements.

On Tuesday, Carolyn Krebs, who owns 608 Dawes Rd. in East York, was sentenced in Provincial Offences Court after being convicted under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act.

Krebs has been ordered to serve a sentence of 15 days in custody. She must also pay a fine of $120,000 as well as a mandatory 25 per cent victim fine surcharge.

She also owns 500 Dawes Rd., which is also currently subject to ongoing enforcement action by Toronto Fire Services due to fire safety concerns.

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Toronto Fire Services, in a news release, said this “outcome underscores the importance of property owners meeting their responsibilities under the Ontario Fire Code and helps reinforce the role these standards play in keeping residents and communities safe.”

“(It) reinforces that property owners have a clear responsibility to maintain their buildings in compliance with fire safety requirements and will be held accountable when those standards are not met,” Fire Chief Jim Jessop said in a release.

“Compliance with the Ontario Fire Code is a legal requirement, and ongoing inspections and proper maintenance of fire protection systems are essential to reducing risk and protecting residents and responding firefighters.”