By Nathaniel Crouch
If you get bed bugs from Ryerson, can you sue the university? Students have been asking and the short answer is no, you can’t.
The university is a private institution and does not fall under Toronto Public Health’s jurisdiction for protection and extermination, according to Keisha Williams, a health representative for that organization. “The responsibility of private institutes falls to municipal licensing and standards,” she said.
A representative of Abell Pest Control said Toronto’s rapidly rising infestation rate is a reason why nobody in particular can be pointed to as the cause of an infestation.
“It almost never works for the victim, especially Toronto-based individuals. There’s no liability in bed bugs, no one can really point to one single person and be sure it was from their jacket, bed or house because they are bugs, bugs who could stay with one person or jump around and bite people all the time,” the representative said.
Correction: A quote in this story from Abell Pest Control was previously attributed to Rhonda Cohen, current managing director and chief privacy officer at Sherrard Kuzz LLP. The Eyeopener regrets this error.
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