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For Your Information ~ Questions and Answers:
This section will introduce various questions that residents have asked about the running of the building and answers provided by experts such as the Property Manager, Superintendents and Board members. If you have a question you feel might be of concern to a number of residents, please send it along to the management office, and both the question and answer will be published here.
Q: There are discussions on upgrading the HVAC system in the building indicating this will be an expensive project. Can you (a) provide a brief explantion on how the system works and (b) any estimate on the costs of the project? May 2021
A: The Board of Directors began researching this project in late 2019 and early 2020. A engineering firm has been contracted to analysis our current state and to provide recommendations. The COVID-19 restrictions, however, would not allow engineers to evaluate the building. This reply was written in May, 2021 when the indications are the review work will begin in late summer or ealry fall. Cost estimates are not available. The Board feels confident that the work can be paid through the Reserve Funds.
For an understanding of our HVAC system you might wish to review a description prepared by an engineer from the consulting firm engaged to perform the review. Overview
Q: Can you provide additional information on Green Bin Recycling? March 2015
A: Green Bin recycling removes organic materials from the general waste collection system and diverts the material for composting. This is the ultimate reuse component in the waste reduction programs.
For specific information for our building, please see the January "What's Happening" and additional information in March
The presentation by the City of Toronto on March 9 was captured on video. You may view: Green Bin Recycling. [You may have to turn up your speaker volume]
Q: Can you please provide information on bed bugs? November 22, 2013
A: Bed bugs: Adult bedbugs are reddish brown, flattened, oval and wingless. Bedbugs have microscopic hairs that give them a banded appearance. A common misconception is that they are not visible to the naked eye. Adults grow to 4 – 5 mm in length and 1.5 – 3 mm wide. They do not move quickly enough to escape the notice of an observer. Newly hatched nymphs are translucent, lighter in colour and become browner as they molt and reach maturity.
For further information please click Bed Bugs. This is a CBC documentary entitled the Bed Bug Invasion.
Q: Are there precautions I should take when disposing of low energy light bulbs?
A: Energy-saving fluorescent tubes, compact fluorescent lamps and LED bulbs use less electricity and last longer than conventional light bulbs, but they also contain small amounts of mercury, a poisonous heavy metal.
Mercury should be treated as hazardous material, and should not be thrown in the garbage. Liquid mercury should never be poured down the drain. If a mercury-containing product ends up in a landfill, the mercury can leach into the surrounding soil or be released into the atmosphere. If waste is incinerated, the amount of mercury released into the atmosphere may be higher.
Fragile products, such as fluorescent lamps, may break during transportation and release mercury into the air. If such a light is accidentally broken:
- Open the closest window, shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, and leave the room, taking pets with you, for 15 minutes or more. Make sure no person or pet walks through the breakage area on their way out.
- Upon returning, carefully scoop up glass pieces and powder, using stiff paper or cardboard, and place them in a sealed plastic bag.
- Wipe the area with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place the towels in the plastic bag together with the broken glass and seal it.
- Vacuum the area where the bulb was broken, remove the vacuum bag, and put it in the same sealed plastic bag.
- Wash clothing, shoes and other materials that have been exposed to mercury vapour, such as the clothing you were wearing when you cleaned up the broken light.
- Wash your hands after disposing of the plastic bags containing the clean-up materials in a hazardous-waste trash container.
For the recycling and disposal of lights containing mercury, Management will supply special hazardous-waste containers as soon as possible in the Recycling Room.
On the Lighter Side:
Q: Why are many coin banks shaped like pigs?
A: Long ago, dishes and cookware in Europe were made of a dense orange clay called 'pygg'. When people saved coins in jars made of this clay, the jars became known as 'pygg banks.' When an English potter misunderstood the word, he made a bank that resembled a pig. And it caught on.