Downtown Toronto shelter without running water for almost a week

CTV News

15-05-2025

An outside shot of a shelter at 545 Lake Shore Blvd. W. in Toronto. (City of Toronto photo)
A shelter in downtown Toronto has been without water for nearly a week and there is currently no timeline for when it will be restored.
In a statement provided to CP24, the City of Toronto said that on May 9 a 256-bed shelter at 545 Lake Shore Blvd. W., at Bathurst Street, experienced 'both plumbing issues and a blocked sewer, which resulted in basement flooding.'
The spokesperson said that portable toilets and hand washing and water bottle filling stations have been onsite all week while the issues are being addressed, adding that additional staff have also been assigned to 'support the people in the shelter' in the meantime.
However, there remains no timeline for when water will be restored to the building.
'Repairs started immediately while staff worked to ensure people staying at the shelter were affected as little as possible. Crews continue active repair work and water operations in the building are expected to resume soon,' Elise von Scheel wrote in an email.
'We understand this situation has caused inconveniences to those cared for in the shelter. We thank staff for their dedicated work and everyone on site for their patience.'
The city spokesperson said that 'proactive work will be undertaken to monitor and analyze the stability of the plumbing to minimize the likelihood of another leak in the future.'
Some residents, however, are expressing frustration as the situation drags on.
Two people who live at the shelter, who asked to not be named out of fear of reprisal, told CP24 that in first 24 or so hours after the issue was first discovered the washrooms there remained open and toilets quickly filled up causing a smelly mess.
They also said that portable toilets – three for women and five for men – weren't brought in until Saturday afternoon but quickly filled up and weren't cleaned out until Wednesday.
The whole situation has been quite chaotic, they added, as several men who were staying in the basement were moved to other parts of the building, including the dining room.
They also say that they have not been offered any concrete details about where they can shower or do laundry, among other things.
CP24 has put in a request with the city to respond to these concerns but has not yet heard back.
Greg Cook, a long-time outreach worker at Sanctuary Toronto, has supported residents at the shelter for several years and is aware of the almost week-long no-water situation there.
He said this is just the latest in a series of problems at the shelter.
'I've heard about many bad experiences for a long time at this location,' Cook told CP24.
'I just can't imagine what it's like there now, with no water. The conditions are already bad and this on top of it. … If this was my rental, I'd expect it to be fixed in 24 hours.'
Calling the situation a 'huge public health issue,' Cook said a fulsome plan of action should have been put in place shortly after the plumping issue happened, with 'concrete options' for residents, even putting them up in hotels temporarily until the water is turned back on.
'There's lot of solutions in the short term. There's just a bunch of options they're choosing not to take,' he said.
'I, frankly, think the Board of Health needs to get involved. … This is just awful.'
The shelter at 545 Lake Shore Blvd. W. is a temporary facility that was opened in 2019 and is operated by a third party that is contracted by the city.