ACORN Wins Renoviction Bylaw in Kitchener!

Waterloo Region ACORN’s very first action as a chapter was about fighting our members’ renovictions at 267 Traynor ave in Kitchener. Now after three years of tireless organizing, rallies, and tenants across the region speaking out, Kitchener City Council has officially voted to pass a Renoviction Bylaw.

This is a big win for tenants, and it happened because Waterloo Region ACORN members worked like hell to make it possible! Members and allies stayed at City Hall until nearly midnight the night of the council vote. Of the 24 delegations who spoke, more than half were ACORN members and our allies including ACTO and SDC.

In a narrow 5-4 vote, Council voted in favour of the bylaw. While some councillors expressed concerns about the cost of enforcement, the majority recognized that the cost of displacement is far higher. We faced an uphill battle at City Hall with almost a dozen pro-renoviction landlords showing up to delegate against the bylaw. Our members thank the city councillors whose votes reflected the needs of the people, rather than the business interests of landlords.

We Haven’t Forgotten the “No” Votes

While we celebrate this step forward, we want to make clear that our members won’t forget the councillors who voted against stronger tenant protections. We’ve already won a gold-standard bylaw in Waterloo that includes rent-gap payments and moving costs. Every resident of this region deserves the same level of protection. There is an election this fall, and we will remember exactly who stood with tenants and who stood with predatory landlords. We promise to be back at City Hall until this job is done right.

Key Details of the New Bylaw

Because of our collective organizing, the City is implementing real hurdles for landlords trying to abuse the system:

• Mandatory Licensing: Landlords must now apply for a city license within 7 days of issuing an N13 notice.
• Professional Proof: Landlords must provide a professional assessment proving that the unit must be vacant for the work to occur.
• Building Permits First: No license will be granted unless the landlord already has the necessary building permits in hand.
• Tenant Liaison: The City will hire two full-time staff members, including a Tenant Liaison, to ensure rights are protected.
• Licensing Fees: The license fee is set at $650 per unit.

The bylaw is currently scheduled to take full effect on January 1, 2027.

To every ACORN member who showed up and stayed late: This win is yours! We have built tenant power from the ground up, and we aren’t stopping until every tenant in the Waterloo Region is safe from renoviction.