e other problem buildings are on council's radar.

Over the past four years, tenants in the Dundas Street building have complained about everything from mould to rotten floors to broken pipes. Half of the building is uninhabitable because the roof leaks so badly, city inspectors say.

"We just can't tolerate this kind of situation," Coun. Kerry Jang said Thursday. "It's been going on far too long in this city. We've got a housing shortage. We've heard of how many empty suites that could be housing families?"

Jang and the rest of council have authorized the city's legal department to take the Dundas Street building's owner to court. A judge could force the owner to fix the building.

Coun. Tim Stevenson said in the next two weeks, council will consider the same remedy in three other cases.

"Hopefully, what this will now do is signal to landlords — particularly slumlords — that we are very serious, we mean business and we will continue."

Seeking a court order brings problems of its own, however. According to a report by city staff, the process can be slow and expensive, and it risks displacing the remaining tenants while the building is being repaired.

Councillors stressed that going to the courts isn't the preferred method to deal with the problem, but they added it's a method the city is willing to use.

"So many of these landlords have just felt like, 'Oh well, we're just dealing with the city. What can happen? They'll just give me another warning,' " Stevenson said. "But when you start to use the courts, and you are in contempt of the courts, you are in a whole 'nother ball game with a lot of heavy penalties."