A Toronto comedy duo is fighting an eviction notice from their live-in landlord after months of disputes over air-quality monitor readings they say were caused by their own flatulence rather than indoor smoking.
S.E. Grummett and Sam Kruger, who perform together as the queer comedy and performance-art duo Creepy Boys, occupy the main floor and basement of a converted duplex in the city’s west end while their landlord, Tania Anderson, lives upstairs. The two units share a duct system. In December 2025, Anderson, who the tenants say had recently been diagnosed with a chronic lung condition, began monitoring air quality with an Airthings View Plus device. She reported recurring spikes in volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, and involved the couple in efforts to identify the source.
According to a GoFundMe page the pair launched and multiple news reports, the tenants spent months testing possible causes. They stopped cooking for days, showered at a gym so they could shut off the water heater, cut power to the unit, avoided candles, and improved ventilation above the stove. The VOC readings continued to rise periodically, particularly overnight around 3 or 4 a.m., and fell when the apartment was empty. On one occasion the couple left for the entire day, returned, went straight to bed without using any lights or appliances, and watched the numbers climb almost immediately.
Anderson repeatedly asked whether they were smoking inside. Both denied it. Grummett said he occasionally smokes cannabis outdoors, which is legal in Canada, but never in the unit. The couple also noted that Anderson has no sense of smell. When they requested an independent air-quality specialist, she declined unless they agreed to cover the cost if testing confirmed they were the source.
While researching VOCs, Grummett and Kruger found an Airthings FAQ that directly addresses a common user question: “Why do VOC levels increase in my bedroom at night?” The manufacturer’s answer is that the sensor is “naturally reacting to the build-up of breath and results of other bodily functions in the room during the night.” A Toronto public-health specialist they contacted gave a similar assessment, saying people often search in vain for an external source when the source is themselves. Their conclusion, stated repeatedly on the fundraiser and in interviews, was blunt: the monitor was registering their farts.
They shared the manufacturer’s guidance with Anderson and said they remained open to further testing. The smoking accusations continued. In late May 2026 she emailed them alleging cannabis use inside the unit, citing both the VOC data and a guest who claimed to have detected a “skunky” smell near the interior door. Shortly after an inspection in which Anderson brought someone “with olfactory sense,” she accused them of using a wax diffuser. The object was a ceramic clown-shaped candle holder that Kruger calls “his son.” Neither candles nor diffusers are prohibited under the lease; the couple offered to stop using it.
On June 29, 2026, they were served an N12 notice, the Ontario form used when a landlord seeks to reclaim a rental unit for personal use. Anderson stated she intended to move into their portion of the duplex and return the entire property to a single-family home in order to protect her health. Grummett and Kruger argue the notice is in bad faith and amounts to retaliation for pushing back on the smoking claims and asserting their rights as tenants. In Ontario, N12 applications must be heard by the Landlord and Tenant Board.
The couple contested the notice. Their hearing took place on October 29, 2026; a written decision remains pending. They hired lawyer Samuel Mason of Parkdale Community Legal Services and started the “Creepy Boys Eviction Fund” on GoFundMe with a $2,800 CAD goal to cover legal fees. The campaign surpassed its target within roughly a day and has raised more than $3,400. Additional funds, they said, would help with moving costs if they lose. Comparable housing, they noted, would raise their monthly expenses by $800 to $1,000, and they require space for props, puppets, and a two-person horse costume used in their shows.
An earlier hearing date of October 13 conflicted with a performance of their show SLUGS at the Melbourne Fringe Festival. They asked to reschedule; the request was refused. The date later shifted to October 29. Anderson has not responded to requests for comment from multiple outlets. At the hearing she presented week-by-week summaries from the Airthings device. Public reporting has relied primarily on the tenants’ account. Airthings has stated that its VOC sensor cannot identify specific compounds, reacts to human breath, sweat, and other bodily gases, and should not be used for health-critical decisions.
Before moving into the duplex, Grummett and Kruger spent nearly five years living out of suitcases, moving between short-term rentals and sublets while touring. They have described the apartment as the first place they felt able to put down roots. Until the Landlord and Tenant Board issues its ruling, they remain in the unit while the unusual question of whether the monitor was detecting smoke or simply overnight bodily functions sits with the tribunal.
