Boy, 7, dies after falling from balcony of North York high-rise building under construction

Posted June 4, 2025 5:45 pm.
Last Updated June 5, 2025 6:19 pm.
A mother is calling for justice following the death of her seven-year-old son, who fell from the 15th-floor balcony of a North York high-rise building under construction.
“This is not fair. I need justice for my son,” said Adesuwe Uwadia, the mother of Royal, who passed away on Saturday. “He can’t just go like that. It’s unfair.”
Toronto Fire confirmed the incident occurred around 9 p.m. on May 31 when they responded to reports of a child falling from a balcony. They say crews attempted to revive the patient but were unsuccessful.
Toronto police also attended and said the death is not considered suspicious.
The building is undergoing repairs from a fire a few years ago, and signs have been posted in the units telling residents not to access the balcony area.
“Danger, do not access the balcony area. Windows and doors have been secured for your safety,” read the sign.
The family said the sliding door had been locked, but the window hadn’t.
Royal’s 16-year-old sister, who did not want to be identified and who witnessed the tragic event, said that because there was no stopper on the window, her brother was able to climb out.
“They didn’t do that for the window; they didn’t put any locks in place. Because of that, my brother fell … We were there when it happened, we were watching him. But if you have kids, you know they move fast,” she said.
According to the family, the balcony from which their son fell had no railing or barrier at all. They say they contacted management several times about getting a lock put on the window, but say they never received a response.
“They know this boy has special needs; there was no accommodation for him. She kept going to complain, ‘Please come and fix this window,'” added Blessing, a family friend.
“They [didn’t] want to do [anything]! Before you start your construction, you have to make sure everything is properly fixed, nothing is fixed,” said Uwadia.
Uwadia said that after the tragic event occurred, locks were in place on the windows in the units the next day.
“When the boy died … the next day they quickly ran to visit, to fix the lock.”
Royal’s family described him as full of life and that everyone at his school loved him.
“I was there when Royal was born. She’s been a very good mom. I can say that. She’s been a very good mom, she’s been very responsible, she works, she’s a caregiver,” added Blessing.
CityNews reached out to the building’s management but has yet to receive a response.
A spokesperson with the City of Toronto said they were saddened to hear of the boy’s tragic death.
“Specific to the situation, it’s important to note that window restrictors leading to balconies are not part of the Ontario Building Code for new or existing construction,” they said in a statement, adding the safety of construction sites falls under the authority of the Ontario Ministry of Labour.