A bylaw that names the statute
Section 97: "Every Dwelling Unit shall have heating equipment capable of maintaining a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius or in accordance with the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 17, as amended."
That "or" is unusual. Most municipal heat provisions stand alone; Pickering's writes the provincial statute into the municipal standard, so a landlord meeting their obligations under the Act is meeting the bylaw on its own terms.
The practical effect is that Pickering adds very little on top of provincial law for heat, unlike Toronto or Oshawa where the municipal rule is specific, dated and separately enforceable.
Section 96 restricts sleeping rooms to heating equipment approved by a recognised standards and testing authority, and section 98 stops portable heating equipment being the primary source of heat in a rental unit.
What the non-residential rule reveals
Section 151 requires that in non-residential buildings where people are employed in an enclosed space, the heating system be capable of maintaining "during normal hours of occupancy sufficient heat to maintain an average room temperature between 20°C and 26°C".
It is worth reading beside section 97 because it shows the drafters were willing to set a band and a time qualifier when they wanted one — and chose not to for dwellings.
Section 95 also requires the owner to keep all heating and mechanical systems installed, operational and maintained in good repair "unless stated in a lease document".
Where that leaves a cold tenant
Because the municipal standard largely mirrors provincial law, a Pickering heat complaint is more likely to run through the Landlord and Tenant Board than through a municipal officer with a dated order.
Sections 20 and 21 of the Residential Tenancies Act do the work: a good state of repair and fit for habitation, and heat as a vital service the landlord may not withhold.
That makes the maintenance record decisive rather than supplementary. Where a municipal officer would otherwise establish the timeline, in Pickering you are the one who has to be able to produce it.