TORONTO

Police are warning the public to be aware of potential tampering and damage to elevators in Toronto.

The public safety alert comes nine days after elevator workers in Toronto, Hamilton and Ottawa went on strike over negotiations with elevator companies such as Schindler and ThyssenKrupp.

Toronto Police said a 57-year-old man was arrested for allegedly tampering with two elevators in a highrise apartment building near Finch and Kipling Aves. It is unclear whether or not he is a member of the International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC) Toronto Local 50. The union did not return calls from the Toronto Sun before press time.

The man’s name was not released because police are also investigating “similar occurrences.” He faces two mischief charges, including causing damage over $5,000 and interfering with property.

Const. Wendy Drummond said he is an elevator company worker who attended a service call not issued to him.

“It was determined once he attended, he was granted access and alleged to have altered the function (of two elevators),” she said. “When he left the building, it was quite obvious the elevators were not working.”

Another call for repairs confirmed he had not been authorized to attend that call.

Police want the public to be aware of people entering their buildings and observing elevators “for no reason.”

“We really want people to be alert and take extra precaution in ensuring that people who are attending to the elevator are in fact authorized and are the appropriate person,” Drummond said.

The Toronto Transit Commission said around eight out of its 80 elevators are currently out of service.

“We were aware that there was potential for this labour disruption to occur, and we put in place some contingencies with our contractor to deal with both emergencies and non-emergency repairs, to have them done in a matter of hours,” TTC spokesman Brad Ross said Friday.

Typically repairs are done within an hour. The TTC hopes to secure a second contractor to finish repairs.

Last week the Technical Standards and Safety Authority said the public need not worry about the strike.

Spokesman Wilson Lee called the arrest of an elevator worker “obviously concerning” on Friday.

“TSSA will be conducting its own investigation and if this person is a (TSSA) certificate holder, we will consider the possibility of revoking that person’s certificate and we will consider prosecution under the Technical Standards and Safety Act.”