Press Hits

When she received the notices to vacate her apartment just east of downtown Hamilton for renovations last December, a wave of panic washed over Marie Marcy.

“For the first month, I was just in tears thinking, ‘There’s no way I can afford to move out of here,’” recalled Marcy, 62.

At just over $900 a month for the two-bedroom she shares with her 29-year-old grandson in the old brick, three-storey building, the rent was what they could afford on social assistance.

Smiths Falls is looking to rein in what it sees as bad-faith evictions with a renoviction licence and relocation bylaw, expected at a committee of the whole meeting this month.

“Although provincial regulations require a landlord to issue proper notice and seek approval for evictions through the Landlord and Tenant Board, I have heard from dozens of our citizens over the past several years who have lost their home, or were (faced) with eviction, without due process,” said Mayor Shawn Pankow.

As housing advocates push back against proposed Ontario legislation they say would weaken tenant rights across the province, an Ottawa councillor is looking for the city’s support to oppose the provincial bill.

At last week’s council meeting, Rideau-Vanier Coun. Stéphanie Plante tabled a motion calling for city council to voice its opposition to proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act under Bill 60, which the motion describes as “the weakening of tenant rights.”

There is one thing that everyone across demographics and party lines can agree on: between skyrocketing costs and inadequate supply, Canada is facing a severe housing crisis.

According to the federal government, to restore housing affordability by 2035, we will need nearly five million new homes, which is almost 500,000 per year. To meet this target, the province announced in 2022 that it aims to build 1.5 million homes by 2031.

Hamilton city council will formally oppose provisions in a provincial bill that advocates warn will fast-track evictions, erode tenant rights and lead to more homelessness. Council’s opposition to proposals in Bill 60 — the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act — joins a chorus of backlash from renters and allies in Ontario as the Tory government advances its measures through the legislature. Hojay Byfield, co-chair of Hamilton ACORN’s Stoney Creek chapter, said city politicians’ unanimous support to send a letter to MPPs is a welcome gesture.

With the province mired in a housing crisis, the contentious issue of fixed-term leases was the topic du jour as the new Nova Scotia housing minister met with reporters following Thursday’s cabinet meeting. John White, the Glace Bay-Dominion MLA who joined cabinet two weeks ago, didn’t discuss fixed-term leases directly but said a low vacancy rate has given landlords “the upper hand.”