{"id":612138,"date":"2026-04-18T09:49:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T09:49:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/612138\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T09:49:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T09:49:12","slug":"toronto-renters-gather-this-weekend-to-launch-first-citywide-tenants-union","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/612138\/","title":{"rendered":"Toronto renters gather this weekend to launch first citywide tenants union"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Estimated 4 minutes<\/p>\n

The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.<\/p>\n

Renters from across Toronto are set to gather this weekend to launch a citywide tenants union.<\/p>\n

The founding convention of the Toronto Tenant Union will take place Saturday. It will bring together tenant groups, associations and individual renters aiming to coordinate efforts to improve living conditions. <\/p>\n

Sharlene Henry is co-chair of the York South-Weston Tenant Union, one of the groups involved in organizing the event. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe want folks to be able to live with dignity and unfortunately that\u2019s not happening for a lot of people,\u201d she told CBC Toronto. \u201cWe\u2019re coming together to push this movement forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Sharlene Henry is co-chair of the York South-Weston Tenant Union, one of the groups involved in forming the new citywide Toronto Tenant Union. (John Sandeman\/CBC)<\/p>\n

In recent years, tenants from various buildings have started collaborating with each other in the face of rising rental costs and affordability concerns. <\/p>\n

On Saturday, the convention will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Bishop Marrocco\/Thomas Merton Catholic Secondary School. It will be followed by a rally outside the Crossways rental complex at 2340 Dundas Street West.<\/p>\n

The convention will include discussion about the union\u2019s structure and priorities, as well as a vote to formally establish the organization.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The labour movement has been a key influence in shaping the union so far, Henry said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cLabour unions teach us how to organize, how to participate in collective actions, how to join a picket line, and do a rally,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Tenant organizing tied to climate concerns<\/p>\n

Advocates involved in the effort, like Joshua Shaw with Climate Justice Toronto, say the push for a citywide union is also tied to wider issues, including climate impacts on housing.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur belief is that [your home is] where climate is felt most acutely by people of Toronto,\u201d he told CBC Toronto. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s when a heat wave comes through and your apartment is at 30 degrees and you\u2019re getting sick because you can\u2019t sleep without a fan,\u201d he said, adding that housing conditions can directly affect people\u2019s health.<\/p>\n

Organizing at a citywide level could also help tenants push for broader policy changes, Shaw said, adding that tenants need a group \u201cadvocating on the big stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tension between Toronto renters and landlords is nothing new.\u00a0<\/p>\n

WATCH | How tenants are fighting rising rents and poor housing conditions:\"\"<\/p>\n

What are rent strikes and do they work? | About That<\/p>\n

In 2023, hundreds of Toronto residents refused to pay rent to protest rent increases. The cost of living has been a growing concern in recent years. About That producer Lauren Bird reported on the group action.<\/p>\n

But Tony Irwin, president and CEO of the Federation of Rental Housing Providers of Ontario, feels it has intensified in recent years. <\/p>\n

He acknowledged that there are financial pressures on tenants, but he emphasized that many landlords are also feeling the strain.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany people are struggling,\u201d Irwin told CBC Toronto. \u201cI think it’s fair to point out that the cost to operate buildings \u2014 property taxes, insurance, maintenance \u2014 continues to go up.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same time, he feels most tenant and landlord groups have the same ultimate goal: \u201c[We] want the same thing \u2014 stable, affordable, quality rental housing and a system that works predictably and fairly,\u201d Irwin said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Landlords say they want to work with tenant unions<\/p>\n

Varun Sriskanda, a board member with the Small Ownership Landlords of Ontario (SOLO), agreed. \u201cThe goal is to create a level and fair rental housing market,\u201d he told CBC Toronto.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sriskanda and SOLO support tenant unions, but he said the two sides need to make an effort to work together.\u00a0\u201cLet’s sit down, let’s talk, and let’s figure out how we can work together to advance rental housing in Ontario,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Saturday\u2019s convention will also provide tenants from across the city with an opportunity to talk about their struggles and, hopefully, recognize they aren\u2019t alone, Henry said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce you become involved and meet other folks, [you realize] you might be going through the exact same situation,\u201d she said. \u201cBut it’s being able to speak to it, to educate yourself, to be able to say, \u2018No, I’ll do something.'”<\/p>\n

She hopes the convention will give renters a stronger collective voice going forward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to this article Estimated 4 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":612139,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194291],"tags":[49,48,3302],"class_list":["post-612138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-toronto","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-toronto"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/612138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=612138"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/612138\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/612139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=612138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=612138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=612138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}