It was supposed to be a safe, affordable home for Ontarians with nowhere else to go. But inside, it was horrifying.
The two-bedroom apartment smelled like urine and feces, and there were stains inside the walls where the people who lived there had urinated.
The apartment had no running water or heat. The kitchen had a single gas stove, while the bathroom was just a tiny closet with a toilet and a sink.
There were rats running around the apartment. And someone was always using the bathroom, usually women who were only allowed to use the one that was shared with four other women in the building.
These complaints were addressed to the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services, but nobody could promise they would be listened to.
The owner of the housing home, a man named Andrew Kory, died three weeks after being told he could no longer live there.
A video made by a neighbour shows the inside of the abandoned building. (Cory Shafir/CBC)
A video made by a neighbour shows the inside of the abandoned building. (Cory Shafir/CBC)
Kory’s sister, Tanya, says he was so stressed over the eviction that he was not present when he was found dead on the floor of his apartment.
“He was in the hospital for two to three weeks before he passed,” Tanya Kory said.
“From there, he went to St. Michael’s hospital for a while, then he left for St. Joseph’s hospital. He was in a coma for about five weeks, then he passed away.”
One neighbour said there was a time when they would make deliveries of hot food to families with the promise it would be hot, only to find the food was cold.
“Once a week, I would bring food. The food would be warm. And then I would realize that it was cold,” she said. “It was a constant mess. Always something was wrong.”
Another neighbour says the building had been condemned due to asbestos, and it was full of mold, and the roof leaked. But the building was never demolished.
On May 28, Kory’s sister Tanya, and a local real estate agent bought the home and were given the keys to what had been an empty building in Etobicoke. The previous owner had moved out in February.
Andrew Kory has
