UPDATED: DECEMBER 18, 2025
1. On August 21, 2018, a fire took place in the apartment building located at 650 Parliament Street in Toronto.
2. The law firms of Strosberg Wingfield Sasso LLP (formerly Strosberg Sasso Sutts LLP) and Charney Lawyers PC commenced a proposed class action on behalf of the tenants of 650 Parliament Street.
3. The fire caused significant damage to the electrical systems in the building. The residents were evacuated from their apartments and advised that they should expect to be displaced for several months while repairs were undertaken.
4. This class action will seek compensation for, among other things, lost use and enjoyment of their apartments and the costs incurred for living expenses. The action also seeks damages for physical and emotional injury, damage to property, costs of cleaning and restoration of contents, relocation expenses such as mileage, food and alternative accommodation and loss of employment income.
5. If you were affected by the fire at 650 Parliament Street, it is very important for you to keep track of your out of pocket expenses incurred for food, travel, accommodations, purchases for clothes and other necessities. Please keep all receipts in a secure location because they will be required later.
6. If you are asked to sign any waiver of your legal rights in exchange for any form of financial assistance, please let us know immediately. Do not sign any document without reviewing it with our office first.
7. On June 13, 2019, the action was partially certified as a class action. The Partial Certification Order can be viewed here.
8. On August 27, 2020, the action was further certified. The Further Certification Order can be viewed here and the Notice of Certification can be viewed here.
9. If you fall within the class definition as described in the Notice of Certification, you are automatically included in the class action unless you elected to opt out. You will be bound by the judgment in this action, whether favourable or not.
10. The deadline to opt out of this class action was November 2, 2020.
11. On February 4, 2021, class counsel commenced an additional proposed class action on behalf of the tenants of 650 Parliament Street.
12. The additional action addresses the alleged breach of class members privacy, destruction of evidence and property damage arising from the conduct of the defendants (or by others at the direction of the defendants) subsequent to the fire.
13. In particular, the additional action seeks damages arising from the (i) entry by Access Restoration Services (ARS) into the units to take photographs and video footage of the units and to pack class members belongings; (ii) packing by ARS of class members belongings without their knowledge or consent, without cataloguing the contents of the boxes or providing class members with the opportunity to catalogue their own belongings; (iii) disclosure of class members email addresses and the dissemination of photographs and video footage of the interiors and contents of every unit canvassed by ARS, which could be viewed and accessed by all class members (as part of the delivery of materials in respect of the defendants motion for an order permitting the contents of the units to be moved to the storage facility); and (iv) damage to, loss or destruction of class members belongings occasioned by the packing of their belongings, the moving of the contents of the units to the storage garage and the storage of the boxes in the storage garage.
14. Class counsel is preparing our record in respect of:
15. Sadly, Justice Belobaba, who managed the Parliament class action, died on May 4, 2023. A new case management, Justice Glustein, has been assigned to the action.
16. On December 7, 2023, Justice Glustein set a timetable for the hearing of the plaintiffs motion for leave to amend the certification order (add additional common issues and adding ESA as a defendant) and ESA's motion to dismiss the claim. The hearing of the dismissal and leave motions were heard October 10, 2024.
17. On October 25, 2024, Justice Glustein ordered that the plaintiffs’ motion to certify additional common issues be heard on April 1 and 5, 2025. A copy of Justice Glustein’s decision can be reviewed here.
18. On April 7, 2025, Justice Glustein granted the plaintiffs’ motion to certify additional common issues. A copy of Justice Glustein’s decision can be reviewed here.
19. The parties have agreed to a schedule to complete examinations for discovery by May 15, 2026.
20. We will continue to keep you advised as further developments occur.
21. If you would like to know more about how a class action works, please click here.