Waterloo Region ACORN Rally for a Renoviction Bylaw in Kitchener!
Posted January 7, 2025
On Monday, January 6th, dozens of ACORN members and allies from across Waterloo Region braved the freezing cold and held a march to Kitchener City Hall to fight for a renoviction bylaw in Kitchener.
Members began the action at Kitchener Central Library and marched along Queen Street and King Street chanting loud and calling out Kitchener City Council for refusing to take action against renovictions. We received lots of honks and shouts in support from passers-by, and CTV followed the march from start to finish to cover the story!
When we arrived at City Hall, ACORN leaders shared the harrowing statistics highlighting the current housing crisis in KW, including the fact that for every 1 affordable unit built in the region, a whopping 39 affordable units are lost! Leaders also highlighted the fact that renovictions are happening in other cities too – many of which, like Toronto and Hamilton, have taken action by passing renoviction bylaws – something the City of Kitchener claims they aren’t able to do! SHAME!
At the action, ACORN members Emanuel and Linda shared their experiences facing renovictions in their buildings and highlighted the urgent need for action from our representatives. We then headed inside to deliver demand letters to Kitchener City Council, but the reception desk was strangely vacant, with no one available to receive the letters despite council having a meeting scheduled later that evening!
Calling out the City’s lack of interest in hearing the voices of their constituents, ACORN members concluded the rally with a call to action for everyone who wants to stop renovictions in Kitchener – call your city councillors, sign ACORN’s online action (which sends an email to all of your city council members), and demand they meet with the ACORN tenant union and pass a renoviction bylaw NOW!
Huge shoutout to all our members who helped make this action such a big success, we couldn’t have done it without you!
Want to get involved in ACORN’s campaigns for 2025? Join us for WR ACORN’s Region-Wide Town Hall happening on Saturday, January 25th at 2:30PM at the Kitchener Central Library Room E, where we’ll be discussing local community issues, organizing, and how we can fight back together!
