McMaster chlorinates water system at downtown residence after complaints

Students at McMaster University's downtown residenceare hoping a chlorinationtreatment of the building's water system will help them feel more comfortable to drink their tap water.

McMastersaidconsultants had recommended using chlorine to sanitize the water after it tested positive for total coliforms bacteria. Students hadcomplained of the murkiness of the water,among other issues at the residence.

In an email sent to tenants of 10 Bay St. S on Saturday,McMaster saidthe chlorineprocess would occur throughout the dayTuesday.

It also said whiletotal coliformsare typically "not harmful," as an extra precaution, studentscould boil their water before drinking it orto addbleachwhen cleaningtheir dishes, among other suggestions.

Late last week students shared their stories about the poor conditions in the $100 million, 30-storeybuilding and their demands of McMasterto improve them. While they knew the building was under construction when they moved in, students saidthe conditions are far worse than the school had described.

Among the problems was white, murky water which tested positive for total coliforms bacteria.

A web page from Public Health Ontario states water with total coliforms "may be unsafe to drink" because while not likely to cause illness, it indicates "your water supply may have been contaminated by more harmful microorganisms or may be a sign of bacterial regrowth."

McMaster previously said it shares students' frustrations and cares about them. It also said it was supplying bottled drinking water on all floors, flushed the water-supply system and implemented a schedule to do so regularly.

Water sampling results expected in coming days

McMaster spokesperson Wade Hemsworth confirmed anemail was sent to tenants Saturday with suggestions for students who "have concerns" similar tothe school's guidancetostudents on Nov. 30.

Elliot Goodell Ugalde, co-chair of the CUPE 3906 Tenant Working Solidarity Group and a grad student who lives in the building, said the earlier Nov. 30 email landed in many people's junk mail folders, so not everyone read it.

The Saturday email detailed the next steps McMaster would be taking.

"We will expand our water sampling after this chlorination flush to test every floor, with results expected by the end of next week," the email said.

Resident William Galloway, a22-year-old labour studies graduate student, said the Saturday email gave him the impression he shouldn't drink the tap water until the chlorination process was done.

WATCH: Tap water in McMaster residence is white and murky

Tap water in McMaster residence is white and murky

10 months ago

Duration 0:27

McMaster graduate students living at the school's downtown residence say the conditions inside are terrible.

McMaster's email listed other guidelines for "extra precaution" whenusing water from the taps and showers.

It saidpeople could use an alternate water supply or have the tap water reach a rolling boil for at least a minute if they want to use it for drinking, cooking, washing food or brushing their teeth.

"Do not swallow any unboiled water used for showers and baths," reads the suggestions, adding that small children can be given sponge-baths instead of tub baths.

"Washing hands, flushing toilets and doing laundry is not considered a risk."

The email says those washing dishes could use bottled or boiled water, use the dishwasher's "hot" setting with the temperature booster on or use a solution of tap water and bleach.

It added tips on how to make the bleach solution and how to clean countertops.

McMaster's email also offered one-on-one appointments for students to offer feedback to staff.

Goodell Ugalde said students want to see the results of the water tests and added the solidarity group is "urging" people to boycott the meetings.

"We need the university to face us as a group, not to pick us off one by one," he wrote in an email.

City councillor plans on speaking with students

Ward 2 Coun. Cameron Kroetsch said he is "deeply disappointed" to hear about the situation and is working to meet with students before approaching the university.

"They're living there with really high rents in small living quarters they're not even able to get the basics met in terms of drinking water," he said in a phone interview.

"I'm hoping before they move any more students into this building they need to discover the source of the issues. It's not just water issues."

Kroetsch said graduate students shouldn't have to worry about "sanitizing their own water" when they're busy with school and work.

He said he has yet to meet with city departments about the issues in the building.

CBC Hamilton contacted the city with questions about the situation but didn't immediately hear back.

Organizing is students' best tool, lawyer says

Philippa Geddie, a supervising lawyer with Downtown Legal Services in Toronto, said the most effective tool people living in student housing have to get immediate results is organizing something the students at 10 Bay St. S.are already doing.

The provincialResidential Tenancies Act (RTA) generally doesn't apply to student housing, though it's different for every building, Geddie said. That also means their issues wouldn't be dealt with by Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board.

There are still some various legal avenues students could pursue in various cases, but Geddie said students could spend months waiting in the court system.

She said students trying to be better informed could ask the university if the property is fully RTA exempt and should pore over their contract to ensure they understand the terms they agreed to.

Students knew they were moving into a building still under construction, so Geddie said they could evaluate their contract to see if anything about the living conditions was concealed or if they were asked to release certain rights upon moving in.

If the building is RTA exempt, Geddie added,the contract and other statutory obligationssuch ascity bylawswould spell out the landlord's obligation to tenants.

Still though, people can argue about whether an obligation wasn't written out in the contract but was implied.

CBC Hamilton asked McMaster if the residence is fully exempt from the RTA but didn't immediately hear back.