West Lodge Apartments

West Lodge Apartments, also known simply as West Lodge, is a 720[1] unit apartment complex located at 103 and 105 West Lodge Avenue in Parkdale, Toronto. The complex consists of two curved 18 story towers joined at the base by a 5-story segment which includes a convenience store on the second floor.

West Lodge as seen from the south from West Lodge Avenue

The complex was built in 1964 and by the mid 1970s[1] had already become notorious[2][3][4] as the source of numerous building code violations,[5] and for its general state of disrepair.[6] The apartments have been the site of decades of tenant organizing[7] continuing up to the present.[8][9][10][11] Most notably, tenants in the 1970s were able to bring a case before the Supreme Court of Canada in October 1975[12] and organize a substantial bid to buy the complex from the City of Toronto and convert it into co-operative housing - a bid that ultimately failed when the building's previous owners put in a higher bid at the last minute.[7] Through the 2010s and 2020s the building has continued to be a subject of concern, receiving in 2016 the most code violations of any building in the city.[13] In 2020, during the COVID-19 Pandemic, tenants occupied a vacant unit on the second floor of 103 West Lodge, which now serves as a food bank for tenants.[10]

Revolving ownership

The property has passed through the hands of numerous owners since its construction, including a period of receivership where it was owned by the City of Toronto. It has been most recently owned by companies going by the names "Wynn Group",[1][14] "Bnai Fischel", Timbercreek Asset Management,[1][15][8] and is currently owned by "Hazelview Properties".[16]

References
  1. Manders, Kerry (2019-10-01). "One Landlord's Brutal Legacy". The West End Phoenix. pp. 3–4.
  2. Annetts, Kailie (27 September 2018). "What It's Really Like To Live In The Notorious "Worst Lodge" Apartments In Toronto". Narcity. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  3. Vendeville, Geoffrey (2016-04-08). "City cracks down on notorious Parkdale apartments". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Archived from the original on 2021-11-04. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  4. Karpoche, Bhutila (2019-03-20). "NDP MPP says Timbercreek Asset Management should stop exploiting tenants at West Lodge apartment buildings in Parkdale". Bhutila Karpoche - MPP, Parkdale–High Park. Archived from the original on 2021-04-15.
  5. Levy, Joel (2016-12-21). "The 5 Worst Landlords and 5 Worst Apartments in Toronto". Toronto Guardian. Archived from the original on 2021-11-03. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
  6. Degagne, Danika (2017-03-22). "A word of caution for Toronto's first-time apartment renters". NOW Magazine. Archived from the original on 2017-09-12. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
  7. Truemner, Mary; Poesiat, Bart (1997-01-01). "The West Lodge Files: Joining Clinic and Community to Overcome Tenants' Subordination". Osgoode Hall Law Journal. 35: 697–710 – via Digital Commons.
  8. Hodgeson, Paterson (2019-10-01). "Change Comes Knocking". West End Phoenix. p. 15.
  9. Miller, Mira (2020-12-01). "Toronto tenants start food bank to help out struggling neighbours". blogTO. Archived from the original on 2021-06-01. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  10. "West Lodge Tenant Run Food Bank". West Lodge Tenant Run Food Bank. Archived from the original on 2021-06-03.
  11. Plener, Abby (2021-11-20). "200 Units". West End Phoenix. Archived from the original on 2021-11-24. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
  12. Bucknall, Brian (1997). "Pajelle Investments Ltd. v. Herbold: On the Importance of Having a Convenient Enemy". Osgoode Hall Law Journal. 35: 685–696. Archived from the original on 2020-03-22 – via York University Digital Commons.
  13. "LandlordWatch: Toronto - 100 Worst Buildings and Landlords". Landlord Watch. 2018-02-24. Archived from the original on 2018-02-24.
  14. Capps, Kriston (2016-05-25). "Should Landlords Be Licensed?". Bloomberg CityLab. Archived from the original on 2020-11-25. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  15. Ling, Justin (2019-10-01). "Bad Buildings are Big Business". West End Phoenix. pp. 8–9.
  16. "103 & 105 West Lodge". Havelview Properties. Archived from the original on 2021-12-05. Retrieved 2021-12-05.

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