'Can't get out': Seniors feeling trapped by 2 London elevator outages

Residents of a seniors apartment building in south London, Ont., say they're effectively trapped in their homes after learning the building's only elevator will be out of service for up to four months. 

"I'm really worried, I've had to cancel medical appointments," said Anne Laskey, who is 89 years old and lives on the fourth floor of Andover Gardens Seniors Apartments, located at 1 Andover Drive.

The issue is that for the tenants with mobility issues, stairs are all but impassable. 

Laskey cares for her husband who is also 89 and has extensive health challenges, including dementia. Laskey made the trip down the stairs and back once since the elevator went down a week ago. She doesn't know when she'll attempt it again.

"My legs were aching for two days," she said. "We can't just go up and down four floors of stars, we're all seniors in here." 

Management at the building, which is owned by London Gospel Temple, posted a notice about the outage last Tuesday. The note said the elevator needs a new hydraulic cylinder.

"Unfortunately, the typical lead times for the required materials are eight to 10 weeks and installation time of five to six weeks," the note said.

The note said tenants can request help with groceries and other issues by submitting a note. The church did not respond to a request for comment from CBC News on Monday. 

Otis elevator issued the following statement to CBC News in response to questions about Andover Gardens. 

"We understand the inconvenience experienced by residents of the Andover Gardens Seniors Apartments," the note reads. "While we have worked diligently to source the necessary parts for repair, unfortunately, they are not readily available due to the age and nature of the equipment."

Alfred Davis lives on the third floor of the building and uses a cane. He's had to cancel medical appointments needed for an upcoming knee operation.

"It's a problem," he said. "You have to worry about getting out and getting your groceries." 

Davis is in disbelief that it could take four months to fix an elevator. 

"I just don't see how that could be," he said.

One tenant told CBC News he often finds his neighbours sitting on the stairs breathing heavily while taking a break from the four-storey climb. Another tenant in his 90s said he's had to cancel a dialysis appointment because he can't manage the stairs. 

One tenant who did not want to be named handed over a written list of how the elevator outage is affecting her and her husband. The headline of the list was: "Can't get out." 

Legislation to speed repairs isn't moving

Long delays for elevator repairs in older Ontario buildings have been an issue for years at Queen's Park. However, legislation that would require speedy repairs is stuck on the ground floor.

London West MPP Peggy Sattler has been contacted by five residents of 1 Andover Dr. She said legislation that would require landlords to repair elevators quickly or face fines was passed in 2018 and given royal assent but hasn't yet been enacted.

"It is a huge concern," said Sattler. "This has been a longstanding issue in Ontario. We've seen the government drag its heels on providing protection for tenants and this is an example of that." 

1 Andover Dr. isn't even the only London apartment building without a working elevator. 

More than one building without an elevator

The lift at 110 Highview Ave. E has been out of service sporadically since mid-September before it was ordered out of service for repairs by the Technical Standards and Safety Authority on Oct. 4. 

Tenants say about 70 per cent of the building's residents are seniors, including 80-year-old Maureen Browett, a 31-year resident of the four-storey building.

Browett generally uses a walker to get around but with the elevator out of service, she has to leave it at home and rely on a cane, which means she's less steady. Stairs are a challenge for her at any time but with even one bag of groceries, it's an arduous ascent to reach the third floor.

'Bloody hard work' for an 80-year-old

She has to set the shopping bag down on the step above her feet, climb a stair, lift the bag up a single stair and pull herself up another step.

"It takes me forever to get up to the third floor," she said. "It's bloody hard work. Normally I try not to feel my age but doing that, by the time I get to the top I'm out of breath, my legs ache my back aches."

According to property records, the building is owned by Berghe Von Trips and Verena Graefin. 

A representative of the building's management company VW Apartments spoke to CBC News but would not consent to having her name used. She said she expected the building's elevator would be back in service sometime this week. She said before it can return to service, it must first be inspected by the Technical Standards and Safety Authority, the provincial entity that licenses elevators. 

Douglas Towler has lived in the building for 28 years. Recently, his wife had an unexpected two-day visit to the hospital. Her care team would not discharge her until Towler could confirm there were people who could assist her up the four flights of stairs

Towler is hoping management is right and the elevator will be back in service this week.