Yukon inquest hears landlord didnt know if furnace was safe

A Yukon coroners inquest is hearing there's more work to do to educate Yukoners about oil-burning furnaces and boilers.

The inquest is looking into the carbon monoxide deaths of five people in a Porter Creek home last winter.

Tuesdays testimony showed there is much confusion about government regulation and inspection of oil-burning appliances in the territory.

On Tuesday, the landlord who owned the home where the Rusk family and boarder died told the coroners jury that there is a lot he doesn't know about boilers, chimneys and government regulations. Craig Tuton has hired a lawyer to represent him at the inquest.

In response to questions from his own lawyer, Tuton told the inquest he doesn't know about building codes, city bylaws, building permits or inspections. He said he hires contractors who are supposed to know.

But the contractor Tuton hired to install a used boiler in the home didn't obtain any permits and isn't familiar with the building code governing boiler installations.

On top of that, the contractor Tuton hired to do regular maintenance on the boiler noted the system did not have a switch which would shut the boiler off if the chimney was blockedeven though since 2007, the building code requires those switches.

The inquest is scheduled to wrap up on Friday.