ACORN’s New Report on Rental Replacement Bylaws in Ontario
Posted December 20, 2022
Wondering what rental replacement bylaws are? Why the Ontario Progressive Conservative Government wants to eliminate the powers of the cities to retain or institute such bylaws?
Read ACORN’s new report. ACORN members are releasing the report in actions across 7 cities today! Members are going to their PC MPP’s offices to deliver a copy of the report and tell them to protect existing affordable housing.
Check out the report here: https://acorncanada.org/resources/save-rental-replacement-bylaws-protect-affordable-housing/
Take action to protect existing affordable housing
Through the new legislation, More Homes Build Faster Act 2022, the Ontario government wants to build 1.5 million homes in the next 10 years. But they see the existing affordable homes, those built 50 years ago, as a roadblock to building new housing supply. But ACORN report clearly demonstrates the vital role Rental Replacement Bylaws play in protecting existing affordable housing and preventing mass displacement.
Key highlights of the report:
• In just 5 cities (Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, London and Mississauga), around 215,000 units stand at risk of being demolished.
• Households are already paying >60% of their income on rent. If they evicted, they will be paying >100%!
• Rental replacement bylaws work! Since the start of the City’s rental replacement policy framework, Toronto has been able to secure 4,000 – 5,000 private market rental units. This equals between $1 billion to $2 billion of low end of market rental housing saved.
• Contributions to the PC Party of Ontario from just a few main builders or real estate companies totals to $250,000! Between 2014 and 2016, the big 5 contributors to the PC Party of Ontario include the Ontario Home Builders Association ($54,596.56), Minto Group Inc. ($41,613.53), Greenwin Inc. ($40,993), De Gasperis Family (Greenbelt developer – $35,077) and TACC construction company ($20,260), closely followed by the Building Industry and Land Development Association ($18,990).
ACORN’s demands
ACORN wants the province of Ontario to give more, not less, powers to the cities so that they can enact and implement rental replacement bylaws and protect existing affordable housing. Destroying affordable homes in a bid to build more energy efficient homes is not the solution. Rather the solution is to boost investments and enable repairs in these existing affordable homes!