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Daily Record
a day ago
- Health
- Daily Record
West Lothian couple had to 'hang out window and scream' as fire ripped through building
Courtney Ramage, 21, and her partner Yazmin have been left 'traumatised' after the blaze unexpectedly began in the middle of the night. A West Lothian woman has told of the horrifying moment her and her partner were trapped inside their flat after a fire broke out in the hallway of their building. Courtney Ramage, 21, and her partner Yazmin have been left 'traumatised' after the blaze unexpectedly began in the middle of the night. The terrifying ordeal took place in the early hours of July 8 when the landing outside Courtney's flat on Church Place in Fauldhouse burst into flames. Courtney was outside for a smoke around 12am while Yazmin was sleeping inside their flat. When Courtney re-entered the building, she encountered a fire inside the stairwell. She told Edinburgh Live: 'To this day, I still cant sleep properly. This is the first time it's ever happened.' Courtney ran back into her flat to awake Yazmin and grab her phone to call 999. However, the couple discovered the blaze was too large and hot for them to escape through the stairwell. Courtney added: 'I thought I was going to die. I called 999. They told us to go into living room and close the door. They told us to hang out the window to get fresh air and to put towels in front of door to prevent smoke getting in. 'We were screaming. We felt like we were going to die.' A spokesperson from Places for People, the housing association for Courtney's building, said they understood 'how worrying a fire in the building must have been for customers' and they 'checked on everyone following the incident to see if they were safe'. Courtney says the landing retained smoke and fire damage following the blaze, and her asthma has been more severe in the days following the fire. She added: 'I'm already asthmatic and having to walk through the soot and stuff has affected my lungs, causing me to have asthma attacks.' Places for People said: 'We carried out an immediate inspection after the fire last week. There are some works required now to repair fire damage in the hallway and doorways to some of the flats which are scheduled in and will be completed in the next few weeks.' A Places for People Scotland spokesperson said: 'We understand how worrying a fire in the building must have been for Customers and we checked on everyone following the incident to see if they were safe. 'We carried out an immediate inspection after the fire last week. This involved us speaking to Customers about any damage in their flats and we also had all common areas, including the hallways, cleared and cleaned to prevent soot contamination. 'There are some works required now to repair fire damage in the hallway and doorways to some of the flats which are scheduled in and will be completed in the next few weeks. This will also include any cleaning or works required in individual flats, although one Customer is refusing entry to do this. 'We can assure customers that we are working as quickly as possible to arrange for all works to be completed and we have been keeping them updated regularly. 'Our number one concern is the welfare of Customers, and we urge everyone to adhere to the fire safety guidance in place so any further incidents can be prevented.' A Scottish Fire and Rescue spokesperson said: 'We attended an incident at 37 D Church Place in Fauldhouse after receiving a call at 12.01am on July 8. We mobilized three appliances to a small fire on the landing of the property in a residential building. 'There were three casualties, all of which were treated by SAS at the scene and released. The last appliance left at 1.38am.' A spokesperson from the Scottish Ambulance Service said: 'We received a call on July 8 to attend an incident on Church Place. We dispatched one ambulance and our special operations team to the scene. No patients required transport to hospital.' A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'Around 12.25am on Tuesday, 8 July, 2025, officers attended a report of a fire within a common area of a block of flats on Church Place, Fauldhouse. 'Enquiries were carried out and have concluded, no further police action will be taken. 'Anyone with any further information is asked to contact 101.'
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Yahoo
Ontario's proposed landlord drug liability law rattles supportive housing providers
The first time Fay Martin read up on the details of a proposed act to make landlords responsible for preventing drug activities in their units in Ontario, she says her hair stood on end. As a founder and board member of Places for People, which rents out 20 affordable units in Haliburton Highlands, Ont., she says the legislation — which threatens landlords with fines or jail time if their properties are used for producing or trafficking drugs — conflicts with both the goals of her charity and possibly with its ability to survive long-term . "It's going to be a total disincentive to housing the people that most need housing, and that the community needs to have housed," she said. Martin said that's because it could discourage supportive housing providers from "taking a chance" on tenants who need a home but who may be dealing with addictions. The act, which has received royal assent but has not yet been proclaimed into law, is a sub-section of Bill 10 — a multi-part piece of legislation broadly focused on public safety by making changes to areas like bail, courts and policing. In the act, the government also says landlords will be able to legally defend themselves by taking "reasonable measures" to "prevent the [drug] activity." With no clarity on what those measures could be, housing providers like Martin are anxiously waiting to learn more about what their new responsibilities will be — and how much they will cost. Fines could reach up to $250,000 on the first conviction, something Martin says would "kill us." Her charity receives no additional funding from the government and relies on donations to subsidize its units, she says. Jennifer Van Gennip, who works for supportive housing provider Redwood Park Communities in Simcoe County, Ont., is also worried, explaining that she's already seeing a "chilling effect in the sector around providing housing for people who use drugs" as a result of the proposed act. "We're hearing about other supportive housing providers who are trying to get out ahead of it ... and evicting residents who use drugs," said Van Gennip, who is also a co-chair of the Ontario Alliance to End Homelessness. What she wants is more information on who is being targeted under the act, with the hope that there is a "very clear" distinction between people who use drugs or do what she calls "survival dealing" — where people sell a small amount of drugs, to finance their own habits or pay for food or rent — and larger-scale trafficking and drug production. 'Some form of guidance is really needed here' Toronto-based lawyer John Fox , who specializes in law pertaining to affordable housing, says the legislation was written in a "fairly vague way." "Some form of guidance is really needed here," said Fox, explaining that he expects more information from the province clarifying things before it comes into force. Among the key questions now being discussed by landlords, whether non-profit, for-profit or commercial, is what the government means when it says that landlords can legally defend themselves by taking "reasonable measures" to stop drug activity. "People wonder whether that means more CCTV monitoring," said Fox. "Could it mean that in a lease that you should now include monthly inspections of the premises because you want to make sure that none of this is happening?" Then there are uncertainties more specific to non-profit housing, says Fox, including how much liability will fall to a non-profit's board of directors, who are volunteers, and whether there will be any financial help for them to pay for whatever "reasonable measures" they are eventually expected to take. Should supportive housing be excluded? CBC Toronto asked the Ministry of the Solicitor General about its timelines for putting the act into force and publishing more detailed regulations, but did not hear back by deadline. Fox says the province is currently being urged by advocates to consider whether supportive housing should be excluded altogether from the act —something the province also did not confirm. "[Supportive housing providers] are looking to be exempt from this act on account of the fact that their activities are directly related to reducing this kind of [drug] activity," he said. "This is not a risk that is fair for them to take on." If that campaign is successful, Fox continued, it raises yet another wrinkle: how to distinguish between non-profit housing, which doesn't generate profits for owners and sometimes offers non-market rent, and supportive housing, which typically offers non-market rent and tenant support. "That line will not be an easy one to draw," he said. Wait for 'clarity' continues The hope now in the non-profit sector is for more consultations with the province, says Marlene Coffey, CEO of the Ontario Non-profit Housing Association. "What we would expect is that as regulations are developed, we will work with the government in consultation and then there will be more clarity," she said. Her association has also submitted a list of recommendations to the province, including requests for more funding and clarity on personal liability rules. The Association of Municipalities of Ontario is asking for consultation as well, submitting in a letter to the Ministry of the Solicitor General in June that it is concerned about "unintended consequences… undue burdens… and risks to municipal landlords." The Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario, meanwhile, is preparing presentations for front-line staff on how to "mitigate the negative impacts on Ontarians" of both this act and Bill 6, which gives new powers to municipalities to remove homeless people from public spaces. "The practical impact of both Bills is that Ontarians will lose their housing and be pushed into greater precarity," the centre wrote in submissions sent this spring to Attorney General Doug Downey.
CBC
20-07-2025
- CBC
Ontario's proposed landlord drug liability law rattles supportive housing providers
Social Sharing The first time Fay Martin read up on the details of a proposed act to make landlords responsible for preventing drug activities in their units in Ontario, she says her hair stood on end. As a founder and board member of Places for People, which rents out 20 affordable units in Haliburton Highlands, Ont., she says the legislation — which threatens landlords with fines or jail time if their properties are used for producing or trafficking drugs — conflicts with both the goals of her charity and possibly with its ability to survive long-term . "It's going to be a total disincentive to housing the people that most need housing, and that the community needs to have housed," she said. Martin said that's because it could discourage supportive housing providers from "taking a chance" on tenants who need a home but who may be dealing with addictions. The act, which has received royal assent but has not yet been proclaimed into law, is a sub-section of Bill 10 — a multi-part piece of legislation broadly focused on public safety by making changes to areas like bail, courts and policing. In the act, the government also says landlords will be able to legally defend themselves by taking "reasonable measures" to "prevent the [drug] activity." With no clarity on what those measures could be, housing providers like Martin are anxiously waiting to learn more about what their new responsibilities will be — and how much they will cost. Fines could reach up to $250,000 on the first conviction, something Martin says would "kill us." Her charity receives no additional funding from the government and relies on donations to subsidize its units, she says. Jennifer Van Gennip, who works for supportive housing provider Redwood Park Communities in Simcoe County, Ont., is also worried, explaining that she's already seeing a "chilling effect in the sector around providing housing for people who use drugs" as a result of the proposed act. "We're hearing about other supportive housing providers who are trying to get out ahead of it ... and evicting residents who use drugs," said Van Gennip, who is also a co-chair of the Ontario Alliance to End Homelessness. What she wants is more information on who is being targeted under the act, with the hope that there is a "very clear" distinction between people who use drugs or do what she calls "survival dealing" — where people sell a small amount of drugs, to finance their own habits or pay for food or rent — and larger-scale trafficking and drug production. 'Some form of guidance is really needed here' Toronto-based lawyer John Fox , who specializes in law pertaining to affordable housing, says the legislation was written in a "fairly vague way." "Some form of guidance is really needed here," said Fox, explaining that he expects more information from the province clarifying things before it comes into force. Among the key questions now being discussed by landlords, whether non-profit, for-profit or commercial, is what the government means when it says that landlords can legally defend themselves by taking "reasonable measures" to stop drug activity. A look at Toronto's newest supportive housing initiative for unhoused people 10 months ago "People wonder whether that means more CCTV monitoring," said Fox. "Could it mean that in a lease that you should now include monthly inspections of the premises because you want to make sure that none of this is happening?" Then there are uncertainties more specific to non-profit housing, says Fox, including how much liability will fall to a non-profit's board of directors, who are volunteers, and whether there will be any financial help for them to pay for whatever "reasonable measures" they are eventually expected to take. Should supportive housing be excluded? CBC Toronto asked the Ministry of the Solicitor General about its timelines for putting the act into force and publishing more detailed regulations, but did not hear back by deadline. Fox says the province is currently being urged by advocates to consider whether supportive housing should be excluded altogether from the act —something the province also did not confirm. "[Supportive housing providers] are looking to be exempt from this act on account of the fact that their activities are directly related to reducing this kind of [drug] activity," he said. "This is not a risk that is fair for them to take on." If that campaign is successful, Fox continued, it raises yet another wrinkle: how to distinguish between non-profit housing, which doesn't generate profits for owners and sometimes offers non-market rent, and supportive housing, which typically offers non-market rent and tenant support. "That line will not be an easy one to draw," he said. Wait for 'clarity' continues The hope now in the non-profit sector is for more consultations with the province, says Marlene Coffey, CEO of the Ontario Non-profit Housing Association. "What we would expect is that as regulations are developed, we will work with the government in consultation and then there will be more clarity," she said. Her association has also submitted a list of recommendations to the province, including requests for more funding and clarity on personal liability rules. The Association of Municipalities of Ontario is asking for consultation as well, submitting in a letter to the Ministry of the Solicitor General in June that it is concerned about " unintended consequences… undue burdens… and risks to municipal landlords." The Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario, meanwhile, is preparing presentations for front-line staff on how to "mitigate the negative impacts on Ontarians" of both this act and Bill 6, which gives new powers to municipalities to remove homeless people from public spaces. "The practical impact of both Bills is that Ontarians will lose their housing and be pushed into greater precarity," the centre wrote in submissions sent this spring to Attorney General Doug Downey.
Scotsman
15-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Places For People supports The Ridge in creating new facilities for Dunbar - and giving young people employability skills
Places for People, the UK's leading social enterprise dedicated to building thriving communities and transforming lives, has joined forces with Dunbar-based charity The Ridge to deliver a groundbreaking project aimed at empowering local residents and tackling social challenges. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... In a landmark collaboration, Places for People is leveraging its supply chain to support the completion of new facilities at Black Bull Close in Dunbar. This ambitious development will revitalise historic buildings to house a state-of-the-art support centre, including a training kitchen, office spaces, multipurpose rooms, and the surrounding Backlands community garden. These facilities will expand The Ridge's ability to provide essential services and skills training to the local community. Trainees, apprentices, and local secondary school pupils will benefit directly from the project, gaining valuable experience in trades such as stonemasonry and joinery – skills critical for preserving Scotland's heritage buildings and addressing housing sector demands. Additionally, the Backlands garden will continue to serve as a hub for training, sustainability, and wellbeing, offering gardening opportunities to trainees, volunteers, and individuals supported by The Ridge's various programmes. The garden includes a kitchen garden, where produce is used for cookery classes or sold back to the Community. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Through its supply chain, Places for People has provided practical support to bring this vision to life. Among them are Novus Property Solutions who through their charitable partnership with Places for People provided over £40,000 of materials and skills across multiple disciplines. Elsewhere, Cablecom supplied free-of-charge luminaires valued at £3,258.00 – a donation that came thanks to collaborations with Scott Coppola Electrical Distributors Ltd and other manufacturers. The Ridge Marcus Hulme, Places Impact Director at Places for People, commented: 'At Places for People, our mission goes far beyond building houses – it's about creating opportunities, enriching lives, and fostering thriving communities. 'We are truly honoured to collaborate with The Ridge and our exceptional supply chain on this transformative project. Together, we are supporting their inspiring mission to make a lasting impact on people and places, offering critical lifelines to those who need them most. We are proud to champion their vision for the new support centre, which will undoubtedly bring enduring benefits to Dunbar and its surrounding areas.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Ridge, founded in 2012, works to support disadvantaged individuals across Dunbar and East Linton by equipping them with skills, qualifications, and work experience while providing holistic support such as housing advice, debt counselling, mental health services, and employability training. The charity has grown significantly in recent years, now encompassing The Ridge SCIO and its social enterprise subsidiary, The Ridge Foundations CIC. The Ridge Katie Wood, Managing Director of the organisation added: 'We are deeply grateful to Places for People for their invaluable support in helping us expand our services. We're dedicated to delivering solutions for the community, within the community – whether that's through skills training, work experience, or holistic support for individuals facing complex challenges. 'The redevelopment of Black Bull Close marks a significant milestone in our journey, enabling us to offer even more tailored services and opportunities. Having a partner like Places for People, who share our values and vision, is truly inspiring.' The Ridge's work encompasses a wide range of initiatives aimed at helping individuals build sustainable futures, from supporting those impacted by the criminal justice system to providing budget-friendly cooking courses, food and clothing banks, and tailored advice in collaboration with statutory agencies and local groups. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Clare Donnelly, Executive Assistant at PfP, Ciara Toland, Head of Communities at PfP, Nikki Hogg, Community Housing Manager at PfP, Kelly Brown, Director of Places for People Scotland, Casper, Joiner for The Ridge, Aidan, trainee stonemason for The Ridge and Katie Wood, Managing Director of The Ridge.
Scotsman
13-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Scotsman
Edinburgh gym reopens on Leith Walk after closing its doors two years ago
Watch more of our videos on and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565 Visit Shots! now An Edinburgh gym will reopen on Leith Walk today after being closed for more than two years. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Places Leisure Edinburgh is located at Engine Yard, Leith Walk, Edinburgh | Places Leisure Edinburgh Places Leisure Edinburgh features brand new equipment, 70 stations, a range of cardiovascular and resistance machines and a large free weights area. The new gym is part of Places for People's award-winning regeneration project, the Engine Yard, located near Shrubhill Walk. The gym, previously known as Places Gym, closed in March 2023 due to 'escalating energy prices.' But now, 14 months on, the gym has been refurbished and 'equipped with the latest technology'. Places Leisure Edinburgh will also offer group classes, personal training, Les Mills virtual studio sessions, and features a EGYM Fitness Hub, allowing members to follow workout programmes based on their own body and goals. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Memberships will include unlimited access to the gym as well as group fitness and health sessions held throughout the week which will are bookable up to 15 days in advance. Through the Places Leisure app, members can access their membership card, make and manage bookings, and access virtual sessions | Places Leisure Edinburgh Nicola McMaster, general manager at Places Leisure, said: 'We are thrilled to be opening our doors to Places Leisure Edinburgh today and look forward to welcoming members of the community to our brand-new modern gym. 'Equipped with the latest technology and helpful staff onsite, members can experience a high-energy and supportive environment where they can follow workouts based on their bodies and individual fitness goals, whatever they may be. 'Being a part of Places for People, we understand the importance of bringing leisure facilities into the heart of communities and making physical activity more accessible. We look forward to the positive impact Places Leisure Edinburgh will bring to the area.' Places Leisure Edinburgh on Leith Walk will be open from 6am until 10pm on weekdays and between 8am to 6m on weekends.
