PETERBOROUGH, Ont. -- It’s starting to feel a little less like Christmas for residents of a social housing apartment building in Peterborough, Ont., after the landlord took down decorations earlier this week.
The city-owned social housing agency cited fire code concerns in a letter to residents after it took down a Christmas tree and other decorations from the lobby on Tuesday. It also told residents a fire prevention officer has stated Christmas wreaths should be removed from hallway doors.
Residents put up the decorations to make the foyer look nice, said Janet Gillet, who has lived in the building for three years.
“They don’t even belong to the housing company. They belong to us,” she said yesterday. “They shouldn’t have stolen our ornaments and put them in their stupid storage.”
Gillet doesn’t accept the landlord’s explanation that the Christmas tree and decorations were a fire hazard next to the entrance for the 100-unit building.
Should limits be placed on public displays of Christmas?
“If it’s against the fire code for us, then how come in about every other apartment building in town they’re allowed to decorate their foyer?” she said. “It’s not fair. They’re treating us like we’re little kids or morons or something. It’s not right.”
Peterborough Housing put up a notice on Nov. 27 asking residents to remove the decorations from the lobby.
When they weren’t removed, a contractor packed up the items, Peterborough Housing CEO Darlene Cook said.
“Yes, we are the Grinch who stole Christmas,” she joked. “Certainly Peterborough Housing Corporation wants everyone to enjoy the Christmas season but we want it to be a safe Christmas season.
“All of those things are flammable and it’s where the entrance and exit is ... How would people get out if there was a fire there?”
The decorations have been put in a place where the residents can get the items, Cook said.
She added there was no one monitoring the electrical outlets for the Christmas lights in the lobby during the day.
“We’ve recently had a fire in that building,” she said. “We’re just not taking any chances. It’s against fire code to have them in the entrance.”
Cook has recommended a common room down the hall from the entrance for residents to put up decorations.
