Four months after the house fire that took the life of UTSC student Naiqi Helen Guo and injured one other woman, Toronto Police have charged two landlords with negligence.
Guo was an 18-year-old first-year student pursuing a degree in Management and had come to Canada by way of Hebei Province in China.
Her body was found in a second-floor bedroom in the home she shared with three other U of T students at 10 Haida Court, near Ellesmere Road and Military Trail.
The fire occurred around 2:30 am on May 10.
Weisong Zhou, 47, and Yu Jing, 45, both of Toronto, turned themselves into police on August 31.
They each face nine counts of arson by negligence, one count of criminal negligence causing death, and one count of criminal negligence cause bodily harm.
Police allege that the two failed to provide proper fire protection and safety for their tenants.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The couple own six properties around UTSC. The day after the house fire, they evicted tenants at two properties without notice.
A Toronto Star investigation found that at least one of their properties is in an unsafe condition.
UTSC has long had a history of students living in dangerous but inexpensive housing, due to the pronounced shortage of dorms on campus.
