Construction noise complaints from residents of Eastdale Avenue building ‘addressed’ by city
By AMARACHI AMADIKE
An East-York resident is seeking assistance from the City of Toronto following years of what he said have been ignored noise complaints which stem from what he describes as “unlawful” construction work at 90 Eastdale Ave.
The resident, who did not want his name used, has lived at the DBS Developments owned building since 2012 and told Beach Metro Community News that he, along with other neighbours in the building, have found it difficult to sleep at night due to floor work that has been happening in the building for an extended period of time.
“It gets so bad my bed vibrates at night,” said the man. “I get out of bed because it feels like the floor’s going to collapse underneath me.”
Currently, Toronto’s noise bylaw prohibits “clearly audible” construction noise from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays and until 9 a.m. on Saturdays. Construction noise is not permitted at all on Sundays and statutory holidays.
However, the resident told Beach Metro Community News that these rules are being ignored.
“Every Christmas, every Easter, every statutory holiday, they’re doing construction nonstop,” he said. “I haven’t had a holiday in three years that I’ve had peace and quiet without jackhammering happening.”
According to the City of Toronto, construction work at the building should not be ongoing during prohibited hours as there were no noise exemption permits issued for the work, highlighting that builders “must abide by the construction hours in the noise bylaw.”
Officials confirmed that, between 2023 and 2024, construction noise related complaints were filed by multiple tenants in this building and that the City of Toronto “(has) addressed them”.
“Nine charges were laid in that time period, with four resulting in convictions and the others still before the courts,” read a City of Toronto statement sent to Beach Metro Community News.
Details on the charges and convictions could not be revealed, said the city, because “these matters are part of ongoing legal proceedings”.
The resident said that he, and his neighbours, were never made aware of any charges being laid.
Although city officials insist that they’ve gained control of the matter, the resident said that the noise persists.
Following seven months of calling 311 in search of solutions, the building was inspected by City of Toronto bylaw officials.
“They didn’t do a damn thing,” said the resident who lives on an upper floor of the building. “They went down to Parking Lot 1 and Parking Lot 2 when I told them that the noise was coming from the floor right beneath me.”
In conversation with other residents, the man said he discovered that residents on the 15th and 20th floor have also experienced excessive noise levels from construction work.
With much difficulty getting proper assistance from the city staff, the resident is urging neighbourhood political representatives to step in.
Beaches-East York Councillor Brad Bradford said that his office has been made aware of these noise infractions regarding the building.
“My office has received a couple of complaints from neighbours near 90 Eastdale, as we do regarding any number of projects across the ward,” said Bradford. “When we receive these, we ask city staff to investigate to ensure the builders are abiding by the conditions of their permits.”
Beaches-East York is experiencing an increase in construction activity due to “new investments in transit, improving roads, and building new homes”. But Bradford said that the city has a duty to “carefully manage and minimize these impacts.”
“Builders are responsible for making sure they are complying with all requirements, including the city’s noise bylaw, building code, and provincial labour standards,” said Bradford.
With both city staff and Bradford pledging to monitor the matter and further investigate the complaints, the resident is hoping that life, for him and his neighbours, can soon return to normal, free of the noise they say they’ve had to endure for years.
Construction work is also ongoing to the north of the 90 Eastdale Ave. building, and also to the south.
