Tenants of Sudbury residential complex waiting 8 months for elevator to be repaired
Tenants at 285 Lourdes Street in Greater Sudbury are fed up with how long it's taken to fix their broken elevator.
For the past eight months they've had to climb the stairs up and down if they want to leave their apartments in the five-story complex. Many of the residents are elderly or have either health or mobility issues so taking the stairs each time is exhausting.
'When I get home, I put my parcels – I just drop them on the floor and I go lay down on my couch for a few minutes to get my energy back,' said Linda Pharand, who lives on the fourth floor.
Linda Pharand
Linda Pharand, a fourth floor resident, of 285 Lourdes Street in Greater Sudbury, a five-story residential complex that has had not fuctional elevator since November 2024, speaks with CTV News outside the building on August 6, 2025. (Angela Gemmill/CTV News Northern Ontario)
Victor Pegg must undergo dialysis three times a week.
'I come down around six in the morning; I'm there four hours before I come home and then I've got to get back up them frigging stairs. My knees are going, my ankles are going,' he said.
The elevator stopped working in November 2024.
The tenants say they've been told different timelines by the property management company about when the elevator will be fixed.
'We understand that can take some time, however we're coming on nine months. It's getting to the point where we're suffering now,' said Andrea Gustafson, who lives on the fifth floor.
Andrea Gustafson
Andrea Gustafson, a fifth floor resident, of 285 Lourdes Street in Greater Sudbury, a five-story residential complex that has had not fuctional elevator since November 2024, speaks with CTV News in the building's lobby on August 6, 2025. (Angela Gemmill/CTV News Northern Ontario)
She calls the situation 'dehumanizing' for all the tenants.
'I feel like the property management company should be updating us and should be trying their best to accommodate us like they promised they would,' Gustafson said.
'We're disabled and we're trying to do these stairs. We've injuring ourselves on these stairs and we're telling Luxor Property Management, but unfortunately, it's falling on deaf ears.'
The building is owned by Centreville Non-Profit Housing but run by Luxor Property Management.
In an email, the property manager told CTV News they're waiting for a part and that repairs should be completed next week, adding that just one company is licensed to work on this elevator.
No one from the board of directors with the non-profit was available for comment.
The City of Greater Sudbury's Bylaw Services is aware of the situation.
'While we can't disclose property-specific information about ongoing matters, Bylaw Services is aware of the issue with the elevator and per the Property Standards Act. We are working with the property owner and management of 285 Lourdes St. to have the issue resolved.'
— City of Greater Sudbury, statement to CTV News
The Ontario Residential Tenancies Act does not give a specific timeframe for when a landlord must complete repairs. It only says they must handle them 'within a reasonable amount of time.'
If a tenant feels their requests are being ignored, they can file a complaint with the Landlord and Tenant Board.
The Landlord and Tenant Board confirms there are no applications open for 285 Lourdes Street.
Justyne Albert and Michael Larocque live on the second floor and admit they're not struggling as much as others in the building are.
However, the couple lives right over the front entrance of the building and is frequently disrupted by people yelling up to other tenants.
'There's been a lot of people always screaming out at 4, 6 in the morning and the middle of the night. There's no security,' Laroque said.
'We feel like prisoners in our own home,' Albert added.
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