Recommendations

On May 27, 2013, my husband wrote the following email to the Board of Directors, as well as submitting links to CMHC's indoor air quality articles and a letter from our doctor:

We are writing to inform you of a serious air quality problem in our unit # XX  & to request your help. The problem requires your urgent attention as it is affecting our health & well being.

High humidity levels have persisted since we first moved into the unit in late 2010. We have since recorded humidity levels consistently between 70% & 90%, occasionally rising to 95%. These are levels that are well above Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation's (CMHC) recommended indoor humidity levels, which are known to pose significant risks to both health & property (1, 2, 3). Our doctor has written a letter expressing her concern about the effects of high humidity in our unit on our health (4).

Consultants hired by the Coop in their report of 14 July 2010, recommended, amongst other things, that the earth around the exterior of Unit # XX be regraded. To date none of that work has been done.

Consequently, we now turn to you for immediate assistance in addressing the humidity problem. We suggest a properly qualified consultant be engaged to recommend the most appropriate approach to rectifying the air quality issue in our unit. Given the humidity levels a simple retail dehumidifier is not likely up to task & would be a waste of money.

Thank you for your attention to the above. We look forward to receiving a reply at your very earliest opportunity.

The Board of Directors did not respond to our letter.  Instead, the co-op's Property Manager sent my husband an email on June 24th indicating that she understood his concern about the humidity in our unit, saying that the Weather Network was predicting 94% humidity on that particular day.  She stated that the co-op does not provide dehumidifiers to members, a recommendation made by our doctor.  The Property Manager suggested that she could look at prices at Cost Cutters and stated that we should look on Kijiji for an air conditioner as a way of dehumidifying our unit.*

My husband specifically asked for an air quality specialist to deal with the humidity levels in our unit.  The co-op knows full well that we have written them on several occasions regarding the humidity issues in this unit which persist all year long. The Property Manager did not address our request to engage an air quality specialist and purposely sent us a 'Tsk-tsk' response to our letter.

Regarding the statement that the co-op does not supply members with dehumidifiers is completely false, a fact fully known to the Property Manager, who wrote us the email. 

*We have an air conditioner.