Ontario ACORN releases a New Report on Renovictions, calls on cities to act!

Across the province, tenants in Ontario are dealing with predatory corporate landlords who have been evicting long term tenants for no fault of their own by issuing eviction notices for demolitions or major renovations (N13s) or claiming to move back into the unit (N12s). When this happens, tenants are forced into a housing market that is totally unaffordable, often paying hundreds of dollars more in rent or being priced out of their community completely.

The Ontario government could end the renoviction crisis with vacancy control – an extension of rent control to vacant units that would eliminate the financial incentive for landlords to do renovictions in the first place. The Province’s refusal to introduce full rent control is a blatant failure to protect Ontario’s tenants.

That’s why Ontario ACORN is calling on all Ontario cities to enact anti-renoviction bylaws based on the successful policy of New Westminster, BC. Hamilton City Council passed one earlier this year, thanks to the efforts of Hamilton ACORN. Why not other cities?

Today, ACORN released a NEW report that reviews the scale of N12/N13 renovictions happening across the province and in select cities from 2017 to August 2023.

Read the report here.

Ontario Cities need renoviction protections NOW! Take action by sending a quick letter to your city councillor and mayor. Click here: https://acorncanada.org/take_action/ontario-cities-need-renoviction-protections-now/

Some of the key report findings:

• There has been close to 300% increase in the number of N13s filed between 2017 and 2022.
• There have been over 22,000 N12/N13 eviction notices filed at the LTB between 2017- Aug 2023
• There has been a 545% increase in the number of N13s filed in Ottawa between 2017 and 2022
• Almost ¼ landlords doing renovictions between Jan 2022 and Aug 2023 were hiding behind numbered companies

Here’s a quick snapshot of the actions ACORN members did today to release the report (press links are at the bottom of the page):
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Here’s a quick snapshot of the actions ACORN members did today to release the report.

Ottawa

Ottawa ACORN members gathered outside of City Hall right before the Housing and Planning Committee meeting started to release Ontario ACORN’s Renoviction Report. The report shows why ACORN is demanding ALL cities in Ontario, including Ottawa, need anti-renovictions bylaws similar to Hamilton, ON. Massive shoutouts to ACORN Leaders Bader Abu-Zahra, Evan Bury and Dustin Munro for leading this event and speaking with the press! Thank you to City Councillor Kavanagh, Councillor Plante, Claire Michela from RavenLaw, and Sylvia Chapman from Community Legal Services for joining us and speaking in support of a Renoviction Bylaw in Ottawa. Ottawa ACORN was heard today, loud and clear.

CTV, CFRA and Centretown Buzz covered the report launch.

Toronto

Toronto ACORN members Earl LeBlanc and Alejandra Ruiz-Vargas deputed at Planning and Housing Committee in support of directing city staff to investigate a strong anti-renoviction bylaw (similar to Hamilton) which passed unanimously! Earl spoke about his own experience with renoviction to councillors and both leaders talked about Ontario ACORN’s new report on renovictions.

Citynews, CBC, and 680 news conducted interviews with Toronto ACORN members. Check out Earl LeBlanc’s testimony here.

London

Dozens of ACORN members gathered in the lobby of 1280 Webster street today to hear the findings from ACORN’s renoviction report. We were joined by reporters from CBC, CTV and CFPL news who covered the event and were also witness to building management once again trying to stop tenants from gathering in their own building! Building management tried to intimidate tenants by calling the police, but we knew we had a right to stay and finish our event. Huge shoutout to Carling-Stoneybrook Chair Jordan Smith, Building Captain Sharon Hodgson, and leader Felix Krasnov for leading this event and doing some amazing press interviews!

Kitchener-Waterloo

Over 35 ACORN members living at 250 Frederick St gathered in their lobby to hear the findings of ACORN’s new renoviction report. Despite being harassed to leave by building management, members stood their ground, making fun of landlord Michael Klein for using the same “Old Hat” intimidation tactics that he’s used in other cities to try and squash tenants organizing against his renovictions. Management then called police, who just stood by (because tenants have a right to organize in their buildings!) Huge shoutout to Waterloo Region ACORN Chair Acer Bonaparte and leaders Lynn Intini and Jacquie Wells for all their hard work to make this happen!

Press from CTV and CityNews joined us to catch the action.