After a long and hard fight for affordable housing by ACORN and other allies, the Province has listened and are handing over the tools to create affordable housing to the municipalities.
With the Federal Government's announcement of their National Housing Strategy, including the introduction of the Canada Housing Benefit, low- and moderate-income ACORN members welcome the additional investment in affordable housing. Our report below highlights some of the key lessons for the Federal Government to ensure that the Canada Housing Benefit has the greatest possible impact for those who need it most.
Today, ACORN members in Toronto and Ottawa took action for affordable and liveable housing in Ontario.
Over 50 ACORN members rallied to hold Premier Dalton McGuinty’s government accountable for the promises they made to prohibit rent increases when landlords fail to maintain their buildings, and to provide stronger protections for renters. So far McGuinty has failed to keep those promises, and ACORN members are holding him to account!
As part of a province-wide day of action on our Healthy Homes campaign, Ottawa members outside Dalton McGuinty’s office and Toronto members outside Kathleen Wynne (Housing Minister)’s office demanded to be engaged on capping rent increases on vacant apartments and making housing liveable and affordable in Ontario – as McGuinty promised.
For more information and to get involved in the Healthy Homes campaign, contact your local ACORN office today!
Update: Shortly after the Toronto action, Kathleen Wynne called Toronto ACORN to schedule a meeting with our leaders. Looks like we got her attention!
Members in Ottawa are fighting to cap rent increases on vacant apartments to 3.1%, which is the current maximum rate for occupied units. ACORN members want Premier Dalton McGuinty to live up to his election commitments to stand up for tenants and make rent affordable. Ottawa has over 10,000 families on the wait list - the third largest in the province - for affordable housing.
Member Lana Bogart, who is paying market rent, says: “Dalton McGuinty made a promise to tenants to do something about inflationary rent increases, and we're still waiting for him to keep that promise. I've been in my apartment for almost six years, and our landlord has put us on a month-to-month lease, and he no longer does repairs in a timely fashion. It feels like they're trying to get us to move out so they can raise the rent to current market rates.”