Repair costs at Tolpuddle Housing Co-op might exceed six-figures, board president and restoration expert say

Firefighters and bylaw officers have issued fire code and property standards orders against Tolpuddle Housing Co-op. CTV London’s Daryl Newcombe reports.

Fire inspectors and by-law enforcement officers have issued compliance orders against the Tolpuddle Housing Co-op.

The co-op’s board president welcomes the inspection orders as a first step to addressing the cash-strapped building’s problems.

Jo Dee Phoenix tells CTV News, “Two bylaw enforcement officers and a fire inspector came. They turned out to be the best city staff that I’ve ever dealt with. They were very, very helpful.”

On March 5, CTV News reported on the poor conditions inside the apartment building that houses low-income Londoners, families, seniors and the disabled at the corner of Adelaide Street and King Street.

PHOTO GALLERY: A look inside the Tolpuddle Housing Co-op

There were graffiti-covered stairwells, smashed drywall, and 15 units so severely damaged that the co-op cannot afford to repair them for new tenants.

Phoenix blames the City of London’s housing waitlist for placing rent geared-to-income tenants who had serious addictions and mental health conditions in a building that was never designed to provide supportive housing.

The orders issued since the inspections include 13 fire code violations and seven contraventions of London’s Property Standards Bylaw.

In addition to previously acknowledged damage to the security and fire monitory systems at the building entrances, the orders also include repairs to fire pulls, hallway lights, and a fire-rated door.

Both orders require compliance by April 7, 2026.

Restoration company DIRESCO was brought in by the co-op board to address the deficiencies.

“We started yesterday, and I believe we’re going to have a good majority of it done by the deadline,” said Bill Norris of DIRESCO.

Norris says he’s working in good faith with the board given the co-op’s current financial crisis.

“This is DIRESCO’s part to help both with the common areas, common element safety, and also just getting the units back up to snuff so [the co-op] can have housing to provide people,” he said.

“We don’t have enough money,” explained Phoenix. “And that was our initial plea to the city. We need help. We’ve been ignored for so long.”

Civic Administration has committed $91,632 of provincial funding to address the security and fire monitoring systems and a $77,000 construction lean.

However, both Phoenix and Norris believe the much longer list of repairs (unrelated to the fire and property standards orders) will cost substantially more.

“Just from first blush, after walking some of the units and walking some of the common elements, in excess of six to seven figures at a bare minimum,” Norris estimated. “There’s quite a few units that need to be renovated. There’s quite a few areas in the common elements that need to be renovated as well.”

“$1.2 million just for the deficiencies,” claimed Phoenix. “If we talk about the larger scope, we’re looking at six or seven figures to fix that. As I’ve said previously, we have been neglected by the city and by the province for quite some time.”

City staff are preparing a report about the troubled building for the next meeting of the Community and Protective Services (CAPS) Committee on April 13, 2026.