Elevator problems and solutions focus of new Ontario-mandated research
TORONTO — Residential elevator reliability will be the focus of potentially groundbreaking research as the Ontario government tries to come to grips with what some have called a worsening crisis.
The province, which recently promised legislation to deal with the situation, is hoping to get at the causes of elevator outages or otherwise poor service and, most importantly, to find the best solutions.
“The availability of elevators in multi-storey residential buildings is a growing concern,” the government said in an email Thursday. “The underlying causes of this problem appear to be systemic.”
As a result, the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services has ordered the provincial safety agency to commission the needed research. The Technical Standards and Safety Authority — TSSA — is now calling for bids to do the research and report on potential solutions by mid-October.