ACORN members meet nationally to stop corporate landlords!
Posted June 7, 2023
ACORN did a national virtual meeting to stop corporate landlords. We had more than 130 members from coast to coast. The focus of the meeting was to discuss the financialization of housing and how to stop the trend which is worsening the housing crisis. The meeting was by ACORN leaders Lisa Hayhurst, Nichola Taylor and Tanya Burkart.
If you missed the meeting, you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/hkB4leq_hOo
Corporate landlords are acquiring any affordable housing that’s left. ACORN did a national study where members spoke about how corporate landlords force tenants to live with pests, mould and lack of other basic repair and maintenance issues. Despite this, rent increases are rampant. Firms such as Starlight Investments, Avenue Living, CAPREIT, Killam, Boardwalk, Mainstreet Equity etc. depend on tenant turnover to make exorbitant profits.
As a result of ACORN’s report and research by allies, the National Housing Council which is an advisory body to the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, has set up its FIRST EVER review panel on the financialization of purpose-built rental housing.
The Review Panel is inviting written submissions for which the deadline is June 23, 2023.
If you are a tenant living in a building owned by a big corporate landlord or would like to make submission on someone else’s behalf, click here: https://nhc-cnl.ca/review-panels/submissions/submission-1
At this National Meeting, ACORN members went over the campaign to stop corporate landlords, ACORN’s demands and how to make a written submission. We were also joined by the Federal Housing Advocate Marie-Josée Houle who gave her remarks.
The more pressure we can put on the feds about our demands, the better chance to get them to make some real changes!!