What is causing a hum through the Glebe?

If you've been in the Glebe near the corner of Carling and Bronson, you might have heard a constant noise overhead. To those just passing, it could sound like the loud hum of a helicopter. 

But it’s constant and residents say after some digging, they realized it was coming from the air conditioning on top of the newly built Clemow Apartments, a rental community for those 50+. 

Online comments show the neighbours are not pleased. They’ve taken to Google where they’ve offered one-star reviews. 

“It is shocking that a city-approved building can be erected in an established neighbourhood and then ruin the enjoyment of that neighbourhood for tax-paying residents once its roaring air conditioning units are switched on,” wrote one reviewer. 

Another said: “The noise of the air conditioners has totally taken away my enjoyment of working in my garden and eating in my backyard. It is difficult to carry on a conversation with the constant helicopter-like drone.”

In an interview with the Ottawa Lookout, Marc Leblanc — who lives seven houses away from the Clemow — said the hum began in mid to late April. Once neighbours discovered what was causing the unwanted disturbance, they called Bylaw to do some digging. 

”Bylaw told me that they received tens and tens of complaints, so they went on a journey of taking noise readings of all the houses. But every single one of the noise readings were under the threshold so they closed the file,” said Leblanc. 

According to the City of Ottawa website, limits for permitted noise from the operation of air conditioners are 50 decibels or lower. 

On Tuesday, Leblanc bad Bylaw came and took a reading again and it was 55 decibels — meaning it was over the legal limit. 

The Ottawa Lookout reached out to Bylaw services who said in a statement that  ”no violations have been observed” at this time. Roger Chapman, Director By-law and Regulatory Services, also noted they couldn’t comment further “as the investigation remains ongoing.”

The Clemow did not respond to the Lookout’s request for comment, but on Google reviews told distressed residents they “understand how frustrating” the sound has been, and noted they are actively working with professionals to stop the rooftop noise. 

Chapman also said they’ve been in communication with the property manager ”to explore potential ways to reduce fan noise from the air conditioning system.” 

Despite the recent reading being five decibels over the threshold, Leblanc said a bylaw officer told him they typically give a 10-decibels threshold to allow for ambient noise, meaning it could go as high as 60 decibels. The Lookout posed this question to Ottawa Bylaw, but did not get a direct answer. 

On Thursday evening, Leblanc got an email from Capital Ward Coun. Shawn Menard’s office which said further tests would be done when the cooling machine was off. 

Residents of the Glebe are used to noise, said Leblanc — who noted they hear music from Escapade and Bluesfest, which he called a welcome perk of living in central Ottawa. But he said, unlike the festivals, the noise from the cooling unit is constant and needs to stop. 

“I was hoping not to have it for the entire summer because it's a bit less enjoyable outside, but I'll keep pushing and hopefully it gets resolved at one point,” he said. 

This is not the only time noise from air conditioning units have impacted Glebe residents. Leblanc said a similar incident occurred when the Lord Lansdowne was built, but the issue was resolved after pushback from the neighbourhood. 

As Ottawa continues to grow upward, Leblanc said he feels regulations should change to require noise deterrents be used in high-rise buildings. The Glebe resident said the community is on edge as Clemow developer, Katasa Group, is proposing another building at the vacant lot next door. They intended for it to be 26 storeys — well above the 12 storeys the land is zoned for — but after consultatio,n they’ve settled for 22 storeys. 

“It's their time right now to show that they want to be a good neighbour and just install some sound-cancelling devices or deflectors on the AC unit,” said Leblanc. “It’s very common that most buildings have it because if not, the noise pollution would be outrageous.”