Photo: Contributed

A private member's bill that aims to tackle the major problem of unreliable elevators appears to have gained some traction on both sides of the aisle as the proposed Ontario legislation heads toward its first debate.

Both Consumer Services Minister Tracy MacCharles and Opposition Leader Patrick Brown praised the initiative.

"It's important to Ontarians that elevators are in good repair so that people don't get stranded, particularly seniors," MacCharles said. "This makes great sense. I'm very supportive of it."

The bill by Liberal government backbencher Han Dong, introduced last week and slated for debate April 13, has two main sections: One aims to set time limits for getting broken elevators back in service — 14 days for most buildings, seven for retirement homes and long-term-care facilities — and involves changes to the Consumer Protection Act. The second part of the Reliable Elevators Act calls for changes to the provincial building code to mandate elevator-traffic studies for new high-rise buildings.

Because Dong is a backbencher, government support is crucial if the measures are to see the light of day.

MacCharles, who called the bill a "great job," said the proposed legislation gets at the issue of maintenance, and deserves scrutiny.

An investigation by The Canadian Press found elevator reliability to be a serious issue across the country. Firefighters are called out to free thousands of people trapped in lift cars every year, while untold numbers of seniors and others are finding themselves stuck in upper-floor apartments or forced to lug groceries up and down stairs.

Elevators in both new condos and older low-rise facilities are frequently out of service for weeks or even months, the investigation found. Despite an increasing reliance on elevators both at home and at work, consumers are essentially at the mercy of property owners and managers, who in turn find themselves at the mercy of elevator companies and contractors.