28 May 2009 QUEEN’S PARK—Beaches-East York NDP MPP Michael Prue is demanding to know why the McGuinty government has remained silent on last summer’s transformer explosion and fire at 2 Secord Avenue. Nearly 1,000 residents at 2 Secord, a highrise located in Prue’s riding, were evacuated from their homes on July 20, 2008. Some of the residents have not returned to their apartments. “Many thousands of multi-unit buildings like 2 Secord could be ticking transformer time bombs, yet there hasn’t been a word from the Minister of Community Safety’s office. In the meantime, we’ve witnessed a similar explosion at 3640 and 3650 Kingston Road,” said Prue, alluding to a March 19 incident in east Toronto that has now kept residents away from their homes for more than two months. Prue believes the province should mandate timely reporting to help prevent similar incidents in the future. “If we have the knowledge, we may be able inspect high-rise tranformers and prevent similar occurrences. I can’t believe another 500 people have been evacuated from their homes within eight months of the 2 Secord incident. It is possible that many electrical transformers in high-rises are ticking time bombs. When will the McGuinty government start to take people’s safety seriously?” Prue asked during today’s Question Period. The McGuinty government had little to offer in response. Energy Minister George Smitherman would only say that he would take the question “under advisement”. Currently, the Ontario Fire Marshall’s office strives to have reports not involving deaths or arrests within 90 days, but in some cases that timeline cannot be met because of reliance on third parties to provide information. “To avert future tragedies, the McGuinty government must act now to speed up the reporting process. It would also help bring peace of mind to all those Ontarians who live in similar highrise buildings,” said Prue. -30-
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