Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow is fighting back against the Ford government’s plan to push through Bill 60, which includes changes to the Residential Tenancies Act that the mayor believes would make it easier for landlords to evict tenants.
While the province contends the changes would actually unlock more housing, advocates and Mayor Chow argue that it could actually expedite homelessness by eroding tenant protections.
“Half of Toronto’s residents rent their homes,” Chow said ahead of Wednesday’s city council meeting, where she’ll introduce a motion opposing Bill 60. “They deserve stability, fairness, and the peace of mind that comes from knowing they will not face unfair evictions or sky-high rent increases.”
Chow said the bill “makes it easier for landlords to evict tenants, weakens appeal rights, and cuts compensation for people forced to leave their homes.”
“This is not how we build housing,” she said. “And it is not how we build a caring city.
“Our message to the province is clear — if you want to build more rental housing, work with the city to make it more affordable to build, not easier to evict,” Toronto’s mayor added.
Among other things, Bill 60 would block renters from introducing new evidence during Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) hearings and cut appeal times from 30 to 15 days. It would also eliminate the rule that states landlords must provide a month’s rent in compensation when they evict a tenant for personal use of the property.
The province argues the changes would actually entice more people to rent out their properties, increasing housing, while at the same time holding bad apples who abuse the system accountable.
“Bill 60 restores balance and rebuilds confidence in Ontario’s rental housing market by protecting responsible tenants that fulfill their responsibilities in their lease agreement while ensuring accountability for those who repeatedly abuse the system and create backlogs at the Landlord Tenant Board,” Housing Minister Rob Flack’s office said in a statement.
Tenant advocacy groups recently penned a letter to Premier Doug Ford, warning that the bill “will expedite evictions by giving tenants less time and fewer means to pay rental arrears — right as Ontario is experiencing record unemployment and job losses.”
“It will also make it more difficult for tenants to dispute an eviction application or appeal an eviction decision.”
CityNews spoke with some advocates on Monday during a protest.
“There’s not one thing in this bill that increases tenant protections,” said Matt Whitfield of the Parkdale Housing Justice Network. “It all gives more rights to landlords and makes it easier and faster for them to evict tenants. We want the bill completely withdrawn.”
Lindsay Blackwell, an organizer with No Demovictions Ontario, added: “This bill proports to go after the bad tenants, but I think that’s a political talking point, it’s not a category, we don’t have the data to show this.
“As citizens of this province, we expect our democracy to function, not to be shut out of processes, and especially those that could lead to us losing our homes. This is just undemocratic.”
Tony Irwin, President and CEO of the Federation of Rental-Housing Providers of Ontario, disagrees.
“It’s not my belief that this takes away residents’ rights,” he said. “If you go through the different proposals of the bill, what it’s doing is reducing timeframes, for example, it’s sort of tightening up some of the processes and procedures.”
