Two tenants died on second floor with no escape

Ontario: A Canadian court has held a Punjabi landlord responsible for the deaths of two tenants, ordering him to pay a fine of 30,000 Canadian dollars instead of imposing jail time. The city had sought a 30-day jail sentence along with a $15,000 fine for Prithvipal Dadiala following the incident, which occurred three and a half years ago in the city of Kingston, Ontario.

According to claims made in court, Prithvipal Dadiala failed to comply with fire code requirements, which led to a house fire in March 2023 that claimed two lives. He was initially charged with nine offences, but six were dropped after he pleaded guilty to three. Court documents state that eight people were present in the house at the time of the fire. Thirty-five-year-old Bonnie Damyl and 34-year-old Adam Crowley were on the second floor and could not get out in time.

Bonnie's mother told the court that she had spoken to her daughter on the phone just hours before the fire broke out. Even three years later, she said, she still finds herself instinctively dialling her daughter's number, only to suddenly remember that no one will answer the call. Bonnie's sister, Melissa, said she has been grappling with the grief of losing her sister for the past three and a half years, and constantly thinks that Bonnie would still be alive today had proper fire-safety measures been in place at the house. The city's lawyer noted that while there was no allegation that Prithvipal Dadiala intended to cause harm to anyone, the responsibility for the condition of the house and ensuring compliance with fire code regulations rested with him. (Agency)