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Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow is calling on the Ford government to change course on proposed landlord-tenant reform that is set to speed through the legislature, saying it “threatens the rights of renters in our city.”
Chow told reporters on Tuesday she was worried about Bill 60, which brings in changes to how tenants and landlords are able to raise and resolve rental disputes.
The law proposes, among other changes, to limit the new issues that can be raised at rent arrears hearings and eliminate the compensation landlords have to pay to tenants if they reclaim their property for their own use.
Chow said the changes contemplated would have a negative effect for renters in her city, where almost half the population rents.
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“Bill 60 makes it easier for landlords to evict tenants, weakens appeals rights and cuts compensation for people forced to vacate their homes,” Chow said. “That is not how we build housing, and it is not how we build a caring city.”
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A motion from Chow at executive committee on Tuesday passed, including a request for the Ford government to reinstate rent control on buildings completed since late 2018.
“Our message to the province is clear: if you want to build more rental housing, work with the cities to make it affordable to build, not easier to evict,” Chow said.
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“Renters deserve stability, fairness and the same long-term security in their homes as everyone else.”
Ontario Housing Minister Rob Flack said he “couldn’t disagree more” with the mayor’s assessment.
“There are more protections for renters in this province, for tenants, than there’s ever been,” he told Global News.
“I think we’re bringing balance, we’re restoring balance back to the Landlord Tenant Board. It’s about speed with adjudications, it’s about hiring more sheriffs, hiring more adjudicators. It is about speed, getting those adjudications done in a timely fashion.”
Bill 60 is one of several proposed pieces of legislation bypassing committee hearings as the government races through a fall sitting it shortened by extending the summer break.
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