Press Hits

Michael Klein may be ‘a ghost,’ as one angry tenant calls him, but a large group of people in Ontario have had their lives thrown into turmoil by renovictions tied to the Toronto businessman. Dubbed “Ontario’s biggest renovictor” by the prominent tenant advocacy group ACORN, Klein-linked companies and corporations have been systematically buying and renovating properties at the expense of their tenants. According to a report from ACORN, Klein is linked to 21 buildings across Ontario that house an estimated 1,750 tenants. Each of these buildings is owned by a corporation in which Klein or one of his associates is listed as a director and/or officer.

An ACORN Canada study on the subject found that 35.7% of respondents in Nova Scotia who were on a fixed-term lease had been evicted on a fixed-term lease before. Housing experts have said it’s created a loophole that has negatively impacted renters who are looking for long-term housing—all while the provincial government says fixed-term leases exist to accommodate students and those needing short-term housing.

The St. Thomas Fire Department says it was an extreme case of renoviction that led to the closure of an apartment building in the south end of the city, following numerous safety violations. Robin Slade, the co-chair of the London Central and Surrounding Area Chapter of rental advocacy group ACORN Canada, said it’s harder to hold property owners accountable when tenants don’t actually know who their landlords are.

City councilors and tenant advocates talked about a proposed bylaw that would curb bad-faith renovictions that force tenants out and offer clearer protections and compensation options for renters. Marcia Stone, chair of ACORN’s Weston chapter, stated that this bylaw means a lot to their tenants, members and other people across this country. She said that this bylaw requiring landlords to apply for a license will catch the bad-faith actors and allow enforcement against corporate landlords who use tenants as “commodities.”

The gulf in affordability effectively forces some Carleton students to choose between Gatineau’s lower prices and higher commute times, or Ottawa’s higher rates and shorter commutes. But why is there such a stark cost difference between Ottawa and Gatineau housing? Housing advocates are pointing to a lack of rent control as the problem. “Many people are [living in] Gatineau because of the apartment price,” said Tamirat Ganeda, a representative from the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN).