Doug Ford's government has a plan in the works to boost Ontario's painfully limited supply of affordable rental housing units—and it may very well hinge on helping landlords evict their current tenants.
Internal documents obtained by the Toronto Star this week suggest that the provincial government is considering regulatory changes that would "shorten the waiting period for eviction orders from 11 days to six days."
On top of that, landlords would be allowed to hire private bailiffs to remove evicted renters from their homes (as opposed to waiting for a government-appointed official who, as it stands now, cannot use force to remove anything or anyone from anywhere).
In a city with 1% vacancy, this is very dangerous. Landlords already illegally evict tenants through renovictions & sleazy claims - all in the name of profit. Shame on Ontario Conservatives for helping them ruin people’s lives. And how does this possibly boost rental housing? https://t.co/aZn6JQ42Ky
— Mike Layton (@m_layton) February 6, 2019
A discussion paper circulating Queen's Park reportedly says that the PCs want to "streamline" the eviction process as part of a wider housing supply strategy set to be announced this spring.
"Tenant organizations would support the current notice provisions as it allows tenants time to pay rent without starting the eviction process," reads the paper, according to The Star.
"We want to continue to ensure that tenant protections are at the forefront of any changes we consider regarding making it easier for landlords to manage their housing."
The government is also reportedly "studying additional changes to the Landlord and Tenant Board," though few specifics have yet been revealed.
I'm a renter. #DougFord and his government are definitely not for me, or for the thousands of other renters in Ontario. If you don't own anything, @fordnation doesn't care about you at all. #ForThePeople? What a joke. #onpoli #cdnpoli https://t.co/6OGbUedV7e
— Tom Flemming (@tomflem) February 6, 2019
One other possible topic of debate raised by the document involves the rights of tenants who wish to cultivate cannabis. The paper says that government officials are exploring whether or not to enforce lease agreements that stipulate how a tenant can use cannabis and tobacco at home.
"Tenant advocacy groups have expressed that tenants should have the same rights as homeowners (regarding) cannabis cultivation," it continues. "However, small landlords have requested to be able to limit problematic behaviours when they live in the same unit as the tenant."
How any of this will help solve Ontario's housing crisis remains to be seen, though Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark did say in a statement that we can expect to learn more in a few months.
by Lauren O'Neil via blogTO
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