During a recent city council meeting, a resident of Portside Towers shared a poignant account of the accessibility challenges faced by disabled individuals living in the building. The speaker, who moved to Portside four years ago, recounted a life-altering experience that began with a sudden, undiagnosed spinal infection, leaving them wheelchair-bound after a two-week hospital stay.

Highlighting the importance of accessible living spaces, the resident emphasized that while Portside Towers is marketed as a luxury elevator building, the reality has been starkly different. They described a harrowing incident when fire alarms went off late at night, leaving them trapped on the seventh floor due to malfunctioning elevators. With only one elevator in service, the resident's partner faced a heart-wrenching decision to leave them behind in search of help, fearing they would not be allowed back upstairs if it were a real emergency.

The speaker expressed frustration over the ongoing accessibility issues, noting that despite repeated inquiries to management, the response was consistently vague: \"we're working on it.\" They revealed that the delays were attributed to Portside's decision to choose the cheapest bid for elevator modernization, which resulted in the wrong parts being ordered and prolonged service outages.

Over the years, residents have seen their rents increase by 11 to 18%, yet many, including the speaker, feel compelled to remain in the building due to the necessity of elevator access. The speaker concluded by advocating for the rights of disabled residents, asserting that everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to live. The meeting continued with other speakers, including Jessica, who was next in line to address the council.