Should Quebec require landlords to keep apartments cool during summer?

Montreal has been faced with record-breaking heat already this summer, and heat waves have been known to kill dozens of people in the city as people swelter in their residences without air conditioning.

In Quebec, there are rules about minimum temperatures inside apartment units during the colder months, but there aren't any about maximum temperatures in the summer.

Elsewhere in Canada, some cities are moving to tackle extreme heat with legislation or initiatives aimed at keeping apartments cool. 

In September 2024, a council committee in London, Ont., voted to direct staff to develop a bylaw that would mandate that temperatures in rental units be kept below 26 C.

In Hamilton, Ont., the city helps low-income households get air conditioners. A greater number of Hamilton tenants will be receiving financial help to buy an air conditioner this year compared to last — ahead of what's expected to be another hot and humid summer.

The city will expand a grant program to provide $350 subsidies for low-income renters who have severe medical conditions likely to worsen in the heat.

Ontario Works, a social assistance program, already provides grants for AC units to about 50 Hamilton residents, says a staff report. The city's new contribution of $52,500 will expand the program to support a total of 200 people.

In 2023, 445 tenants across Canada were surveyed by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), an organization that advocates for low- and moderate-income people.

ACORN's summary report identified the most common barriers to having air conditioning: high costs, threats of eviction and lease agreements that prohibit installing AC units.

This year, ACORN released a report saying 44 per cent of 700 tenants surveyed said they had no access to air conditioning, and 67 per cent are paying out of pocket for utilities, often in poorly insulated buildings where every degree of comfort comes at a steep cost.

ACORN says "low- and moderate-income renters are being left to shoulder the cost of the climate crisis without the protections they deserve."

The association is calling for mandatory cooling requirements in all federally funded retrofits and building performance standards.

In Montreal, Margaret van Nooten, with Project Genesis, says people come to her organization in the summer asking if there is a limit on how hot apartments can get.

"Montreal is a city where a lot of the buildings are older. And so they don't have a central heating system," she explained. Without the duct work, there's no easy way to connect a central cooling system.