My experience at Boardwalk Centre

Earliest warning sign

The crack was already there

Long before anything happened, the crack was already visible on the outside wall. You can see it on Google Street View imagery from June 2019 — more than seven years before that same wall gave way. A later photo of mine shows the same crack, still sitting there, still not repaired.

Evidence

Rental experience

The price kept changing

When I was signing the lease, the quoted rent changed three times in a single day. We started around $1,230/month and somehow ended up at $1,320.

Once I moved in, my rent went up 10% every single year. From what I've seen, existing tenants end up paying more than what's advertised to new renters online. When I asked why my rent didn't match the price on the website, I got a different excuse every time — none of it really added up to me.

Here's my rent charge from August 1, 2026 — $1,374 — next to their own website listing a one-bedroom starting at $1,244. That's $130 a month less, for what's advertised as the same kind of apartment.

Evidence

Employee involved in rental discussions

Rachel Acquiat

Rachel Acquiat was the person I dealt with while the quoted rent kept changing.

First problem after moving in

The place reeked of cigarettes

The very first thing we noticed after moving in was a strong smell of cigarette smoke inside our own apartment. Turns out that's not an accident — it's actually allowed.

Boardwalk lets people smoke inside their own suites. Their own "Odours" document calls smoking in your home a resident's right, and even admits the smoke can drift into hallways and neighbouring homes. The lease rule below says smoking is only supposed to happen in your suite, or on your own attached balcony or patio.

Evidence

Management accountability

Who's responsible for fixing this

I want to know: what did management actually know about the wall, when did they know it, and what did they do — or not do — about it, before and after it fell apart.

Because of the roles they hold, I think Dwayne Harper and Will Dereski are accountable for how seriously these safety concerns were taken, and they owe residents an explanation for how this was allowed to sit for years. That wall collapse could have killed someone. To be clear, this is about management oversight — I'm not saying either of them personally caused the wall to fail.

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Regional Director

Dwayne Harper

His senior role puts him in charge of overseeing how the building is run and how safety concerns get handled.

Area Coordinator

Will Dereski

His job is coordinating the on-the-ground follow-up and fixes.

Water inside, again

Kitchen sink turned into a swamp

Late in the evening, my kitchen sink just stopped draining — both sides backed up with cloudy, standing water. While the dishwasher was running, water overflowed from its connection and spilled right out onto the floor.

This is a separate water problem from the wall collapse above, and it's the second time water has gotten into the apartment in the last few months. The photo below shows both sink basins full of standing, discoloured water because the drain wasn't working. The video shows the dishwasher overflowing onto the floor.

Evidence