Running a kindergarten without power for 27 days affects Jacqueline Orelana.
“If I don’t solve it this week, I will close the kindergarten next week,” Orelana said.
The May 21 storm that hit Ottawa cut off a power line from its lease. As the damage is privately owned, it is the landlord’s responsibility to repair the $ 4,000 repair. She says she has not been able to contact him.
“We texted him,” Orelana said. “We try to communicate with him. We call him, we send him messages, we send him mail.”
Hot water is also a problem.
“The hot water broke,” says Orelana. “We called the landlord again to tell him he didn’t answer. So we spent $ 2,200 out of our own pocket to buy the tank.”
Even after Orellana paid for the tank, it could not be connected because the previous tank was installed incorrectly. They haven’t had hot water for four months now.
CTV News Ottawa tried to contact the landlord, whose mail is piled up in his house. He did not respond to our request.
“I think it’s horrible,” said neighbor Marian O’Connor. “I mean, we had a terrible storm. We felt heavy, we didn’t have power for nine days. And then when I heard about Jacqueline’s family, I was like, it’s amazing.”
Neighbors are doing their best to help. Wash her, bring her hot food, even run an extension cord over the fence to give her some electricity.
Christine Tambo’s son attends Orellana’s kindergarten. She says that even without hydromassage energy, she can still make children happy all day, but she doesn’t have to wait that long for repairs.
“And to say we have another 28 days because they just don’t respond is just not good enough,” Tambo said. “That’s not the right thing to do.”
City councilor Jean Clutier says he is now doing everything possible to speed up repairs and will add the cost to the landlord property tax bill if necessary.
“If it could be done in a week, that would be great,” said Clottie. “I do not want these tenants, these residents to wait 21 days or 28 days to resolve this situation, just because that is what is in the laws.
As for Orellana, she hopes something will happen soon so she can keep her business open to her and the children.
“The hard part for me is when everyone leaves. I have no children, I have. And the day is over and it gets dark. And we don’t have electricity in the house, we don’t have lights. “
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