The owner of an East York apartment complex at 500 Dawes Rd. — one of the city’s most notorious addresses when it comes to neglect complaints — has been sentenced for safety violations at a separate property she owns on the same street.

Carolyn Krebs was sentenced in provincial offences court on Tuesday after being convicted under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, Toronto Fire Services confirmed in a release.

The conviction stems from charges under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act at 608 Dawes Road.

“These charges were brought forward following non-compliance with fire safety requirements,” the release states.

Krebs was handed a sentence of 15 days in custody and a fine of $120,000, plus a mandatory 25 per cent victim fine surcharge in relation to charges under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, Toronto Fire said.

“The outcome underscores the importance of property owners meeting their responsibilities under the Ontario Fire Code and helps reinforce the role these standards play in keeping residents and communities safe.”

Krebs also owns 500 Dawes Road, a property that’s reached a level of infamy over a lengthy repair backlog and thousands of complaints related to crumbling ceilings, deteriorating balconies, and numerous pests — issues that forced the City of Toronto to oversee urgent repair work.

Toronto mayor Olivia Chow visited tenants at 500 Dawes Road, near Victoria Park Avenue and St. Clair Avenue East, earlier this month and outlined how newly strengthened enforcement powers are being used to force action after years of deteriorating conditions.

“I will not tolerate slum landlords in our city,” Chow said during the visit.

“Our work at 500 Dawes is a message to all landlords that refuse to fix their buildings: the City will not stand by and allow it. We’re helping with the basics… These are things we take for granted but are denied to these tenants because their landlord refuses to fix them. All renters deserve safe and healthy living conditions.”

Krebs was recently fined $200,000 in an Ontario Court for failing to comply with property standards orders dating back to 2024. The case involved more than 40 violations, both inside the building at 500 Dawes Rd., and on the surrounding property.

The building has been the subject of City inspections and compliance orders for decades, with tenants reporting chronic pests, unsafe conditions, and poor maintenance. Despite repeated warnings, little progress was made until the City moved to strengthen its enforcement tools this year.

Chow’s motion — Cracking Down on Bad Landlords — directs staff to expedite the City’s framework for using Remedial Action. The Mayor has described 500 Dawes as both a test case and one of the most urgent examples of landlord neglect in Toronto.

With files from Lucas Casaletto and Erica Natividad