Missing panel on new Burnaby highrise shocks mom whose young son was on balcony

BURNABY (NEWS 1130) – It’s a nightmare situation, especially for parents with small children.

A young mother can’t stop thinking about what could have happened to her three-year-old son if she hadn’t discovered a life-threatening safety hazard at a new highrise in Burnaby.

The woman — who only wants to be identified as Jennifer — says she was outside on her parents’ 31st-floor balcony at Metrotown’s Station Square when her husband told her to hold on to their son tightly. He noticed a glass panel on the balcony was missing.

“It’s someone’s life we’re talking about. We were going to go to the apartment the day before … If that was the case, I would have let my son run around — even out to the balcony,” Jennifer told NEWS 1130.

“I won’t feel safe again for my son to play on the balcony.”

“Thankfully, I decided not to go because there wasn’t too much light [the day before]. I still think about it. It gives me the chills.”

Jennifer believes the panel was noted as missing during a walk-through several months ago, but they thought it would have been in place by the time her parents moved in. She said the builder was contacted and her parents have been told the panel will be put in place on Monday.

Elva Kim with Anthem Properties says this is the first time this has happened and immediate action has been taken. “I feel horrible for what they must have gone through … I’ve assured her that we’re going to get to the bottom of this.”

“It should have been there, and it was missed,” she admitted.

She tells NEWS 1130 a contracting company is putting in the pane of glass Monday afternoon. “As soon as we heard on Friday, we had a team in the home. We spent a few hours and we had the door locked shut and the panel replaced with a temporary plywood until we were able to put in the glass.”

‘I still think about it. It gives me chills.”

For her part, Jennifer just wants to make sure this doesn’t happen to someone else. “This whole building … What about the other people? Are other people experiencing the same thing? Are they scared of talking about it?”

Jennifer adds she needs some time before she even returns to her parents’ apartment. “I need some time to adjust to this incident. I won’t feel safe again for my son to play on the balcony.”

Kim says the company is conducting a thorough audit “to find out how this happened and ensure it never happens again.” She notes they are going through every single home in the building to ensure this is an isolated incident.

 – With files from Toby Kerr

Editor’s Note:  An earlier version of this story said Anthem Properties and Beedie Development were considering compensation for the incident, but Anthem has clarified with NEWS 1130 compensation is not under consideration.